Heart to Heart
by MuffinLove03
Summary: Helga and the gang are in ninth grade, Miriam's moved out and Big Bob's remarried. Helga's relationship with her stepfamily has become abusive and it's going to take a certain someone to get her out of that environment and keep her grounded before something really bad happens. But that's what he's always been there for, hasn't it?
1. Introduction

**[A/N: This is the first fanfiction I've written in about 8 years so have mercy! And also, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or anything having to do with the show]**

It was a quiet late summer morning in Hillwood City when Helga Pataki was getting ready for the first day of ninth grade. This was going to be her first year at Hillwood High School and a lot had changed over the years. Helga was right in the middle of puberty and her figure was beginning to resemble her mother's and sister's. She had kept her pigtails but wore them lower on her head with that same pink bow still on top. Once in a while she would pluck her unibrow but she didn't care enough to maintain it constantly. Even if she was becoming a woman, that didn't mean she had to be a girly-girl.

Helga's home life was significantly different. When she was in sixth grade, her mother, Miriam, had finally sobered up enough to leave Big Bob. Miriam was now living on the other side of the state with Olga, who had been especially torn up over the divorce. Helga took her parents splitting up the same way she took any negative news: she covered up her emotions and acted out. The divorce itself wasn't as bad as what came later.

When Helga was in seventh grade, Big Bob married a woman named Cathy. Cathy had two daughters, Alexis and Camille, and initially seemed very interested in getting to know Helga. Of course, Helga wasn't very interested in a relationship with Cathy. How could she be? She was used to having a more or less absent mother and now some strange woman and her kids were moving in and trying to take over. Who did this woman think she was, bossing Helga around?

Helga tried to pull some of the same tricks she used to get her old nanny, Inge, out of the house. They all backfired, however, when Alexis or Camille caught on to what Helga was up to and warned their mother. After a while, Helga gave up on the idea of getting rid of Cathy and instead just tried to deal with her. That was tricky, however, since they butted heads like no other. Helga and Cathy would get into heated arguments about everything from when Helga was allowed to go out to what she could eat to how she was to approach anyone in the house.

It got worse once Cathy stopped caring about being nice. Once she realized Big Bob wasn't concerned enough with his daughter's complaints to confront her, Cathy didn't hold back. The fights got more and more vicious as the months passed and by the time Helga was ready to start ninth grade, it had escalated to full-blown emotional abuse. Helga gave up fighting a while ago when Alexis and Camille started threatening to beat her up. They were both older (Alexis was 16 and Camille was 19) and bigger than Helga so she couldn't help but be a little intimidated. They also had a lot more actual fighting experience and with two against one, or rather, three against one, Helga tried to keep her mouth shut and vent through her writing.

Helga came down the stairs and into an empty kitchen. Big Bob and Camille had already left for their respective jobs and Cathy had driven Alexis to school without Helga. Helga sighed and looked around for her lunchbox. She found it in the cupboard, empty, and haphazardly threw together a makeshift lunch for the day. A bag of chips, a cola, and a Mr. Fudgie bar. That would have to do.

Helga grabbed her jacket in the hallway and walked out the door. The air was cool with a slight chill as the wind whipped past her face. A few leaves blew under her feet as she made her way down the sidewalk.

"Another perfect day…" Helga grumbled and sighed, pulling out her locket. "I wonder how Arnold's day is going. I'm sure his grandmother made him a heaping stack of pancakes, and his goofy grandpa probably sat at the table with him telling ridiculous stories that, as annoying as they may be, are undoubtedly a sign that he is loved. Oh Arnold, if only I could get the nerve to reveal my secret, at least without taking it back. You truly are the only breath of fresh air I have in this –"

At that moment, Helga came to the corner of the sidewalk and immediately collided with Arnold.

"Arnold!" Helga hastily put away her locket.

"Sorry, Helga," Arnold stood up, brushing himself off. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Football-head. You know, you could help me up though." Helga snapped.

"Sure, Helga."

Arnold offered his hand which Helga accepted. She brushed herself off while Arnold stared at her.

"What are _you_ looking at?" Helga scowled.

"Nothing," Arnold's brow furrowed and he sighed. "Do you wanna walk to school together?"

"Whatever. Just don't try any funny business."

Arnold sighed again, looking up at the sky, before continuing on his way to school with Helga.

It was the final period of the day when Helga sat down in Mr. Payne's anatomy and physiology class. Helga was delighted to find that Arnold was in her science class since she hadn't seen him in her three previous classes. Among the other students in the class were Phoebe, Gerald, Rhonda, Nadine, and Sheena. The remaining members of the old gang were split up throughout the other periods.

"Alright, everyone," Mr. Payne began. "I know it's the first day of school but now is as good a time as any to tell you about your research projects that will be due in a few weeks. While you have a long time to work on them, I think it would be wise for everyone to find their partners today so you can exchange contact information and start coming up with ideas."

The students started moving around the classroom in search of partners. Helga almost made it to Phoebe's desk before catching sight of Gerald asking to be her partner, to which Phoebe giggled and agreed. Helga glared and turned around to see Arnold behind her.

"Hey Helga, do you want to be partners?"

Helga continued the act she'd put on for so many years. "Why on Earth would I want to be partners with _you_?"

"Everyone else already has a partner. I was going to work with Gerald but apparently he wants to work with Phoebe. So do you want to work with me or not?"

Helga looked around, seeing the rest of her classmates had already found partners and sat down, she looked back at Arnold.

_You have no idea. Of course I do, you little football-headed lovegod. _Helga swooned in her head.

"Helga? Hello?"

Helga snapped out of her trance. "Yeah, yeah. You and me, partners. Just don't think that makes us all buddy-buddy now.

"Whatever you say, Helga."


	2. The First Episode

**[A/N: This chapter's going to get a bit more intense but don't worry. A lot of stuff will be explained and fleshed out in subsequent chapters. As always, enjoy.**

**And to be honest, if I owned Hey Arnold, the Jungle Movie would've been made years ago. So obviously, I don't own any of it.]**

Saturday morning came and Helga eagerly awaited Arnold's arrival. He was coming to her house to get started on plans for their science project. Even though he didn't really want to be her partner, Helga was ecstatic that they would be working together.

"Oh my love," Helga spoke out loud as she wrote in yet another little pink journal. "The day has come that you will finally be coming over. Though we have fought in the past when we worked on projects together, I vow to finally be nice this time. If only you could see that I'm not this mean, cold-hearted person that I show all the time. That really, deep down in my mushy and good-hearted center, I adore you and want nothing more than for you to feel the same way. Today will be the day you see that Helga G. Pataki is more than an angry girl with a scowl and fists of fury. Today, maybe, you will see me for who I truly am: the girl who worships and adores you."

A knock on the door disturbed Helga's moment.

"Criminy! What is it?" Helga yelled.

It was Bob. "Hey Olga, your little friend… uh… Alfred is here."

"Arnold!" Helga scrambled off her bed and to the door only to find Arnold waiting for her alone.

"Hey, Helga. How's it goin'?"

"Fine, Football-head," Helga replied and Arnold scowled. "Um, sorry… Arnold. It's fine. Let's just get to work."

An hour passed during which Helga and Arnold got a considerable amount of ground covered. They decided to do their project on the cardiovascular system. The first thing they had to do was start collecting information on the anatomical components of the heart and blood vessels so Helga pulled out the laptop she had gotten for Christmas the previous year. Arnold pulled a chair over to Helga's bed where she sat cross-legged with her screen facing out so Arnold could see.

"It's after twelve o' clock, Arnold, and I'm starved," Helga closed her notebook. "Can we take a break?"

"Yeah, I'm kinda hungry, too," Arnold said. "Do you have anything to eat?"

"In this house? Who knows? Come on," Helga walked out of her bedroom with Arnold in tow.

Arnold followed Helga down the hall but stopped outside the bathroom door. "I'll meet you down there, Helga. I'm just gonna use your bathroom really quick."

Downstairs Big Bob was running around the house looking for something.

"Criminy! Why can I never find anything in this house?" Bob bellowed. "Where is my lucky belt?!"

Helga walked into the kitchen seconds after Big Bob.

"Hey Olga, you haven't seen my lucky belt lyin' around here anywhere, have you?"

"It's _Helga_, Dad, and no, I haven't seen it," Helga glared at her father.

"Don't you back sass me, little lady. You know I can't start a clearance sale without my lucky belt!" Big Bob stomped out of the kitchen, still searching the first floor.

"Whatever…" Helga rolled her eyes and opened the fridge. Empty, as usual. Some things didn't change, with or without Miriam. Aside from a carton of expired milk and a box of baking soda, there was nothing to eat.

"Don't speak to your father like that, Helga," Cathy came through the doorway from the living room.

"Ugh… please just leave me alone," Helga's voice didn't carry much fight as she continued to search the cabinets for snacks.

"Excuse me? You're speaking to an adult, little missy. What kind of person do you think you're going to become with your nasty little attitude?" Cathy wasn't letting up.

"Alright, I'm done." Helga started to walk out of the kitchen.

"You little brat, get your ass back here!" Cathy screamed and Helga turned around. _Here we go again…_

Helga watched Cathy as her entire demeanor changed. It was about this time when Arnold was coming down the stairs where he could see the episode unfolding in the kitchen.

"You think you can talk to people however you like but you're not that special, little girl. You're fourteen years old; you're a child! And yet, look at you! You used to be ugly but ever since you got half-way decent-looking you look like a whore."

Helga looked down at herself. She was wearing a tank top and shorts. Appropriate for the weather but nothing exceptionally revealing. Even though she knew Cathy was just trying to find a way to hurt her and she wasn't being logical, it was still working. As much as Helga hated to admit it, Cathy's words hurt though she wouldn't dare show anything but anger.

"You're such a bitch!"

"Right back at ya, hunny! This is why your father and I don't like you. Sure, your dad _has_ to love you because you're his daughter, but that doesn't mean he likes you."

"Screw you!" Helga seethed.

Without hesitation, Cathy's hand came across Helga's face with a loud smack. Helga's eyes were wide, shocked that Cathy had had the nerve to actually touch her. She'd never hit her before. Helga didn't say a word as she started to walk out of the kitchen.

That's when she noticed Arnold standing on the steps. His eyes were also wide with shock. He stared at Helga as she raced past him on the steps and followed quickly after her.

"What was _that_?!" Arnold exclaimed once they were both back in Helga's bedroom.

"Nothing, Arnold," Helga flopped on her bed and turned her face away from Arnold so he couldn't see the red mark appearing on her face or the tears brimming in her eyes. "You should go."

"No way, Helga. Are you okay?" Arnold slowly approached Helga's bed. "I can't believe she did that to you."

Helga turned to Arnold for a moment then looked away. "Yeah, well… you get used to it. That's how she's always been. And what's it to you, anyway?"

"Because you're my friend and there's no excuse for what she said and did just now," Arnold's eyes searched Helga's with genuine concern. That made her uncomfortable.

Helga avoided his inquiries. "Look, if you're gonna stay here, let's just keep working. Would that be alright with you?" Helga's snarky attitude had returned.

"Sure, Helga…" Arnold gave up, for the time being.

They didn't talk very much while they looked through their notes, aside from making a few insignificant comments on the research they still needed to do.

Arnold couldn't understand how Helga dealt with the drama in her house. That wasn't the Helga he knew. How could the same girl who had bullied everyone else for as far back as he could remember let someone walk all over her like that? And hit her, no less? Sure, Cathy was bigger than Helga and had a lot more control over her since she was her stepmother, but still. These two characteristics, bully and bullied, didn't mesh together when he thought about Helga Pataki.

"Ya know, Helga," Arnold said as he put his notebook down on the floor and sat next to Helga on her bed. "I think you should tell your dad what happened with Cathy,"

Helga slammed her laptop shut and Arnold jumped, startled.

"Do you really think I haven't tried, Football-head? He's got his head so far up her ass; he doesn't care what I think." Helga's eyes softened before her scowl returned.

Arnold couldn't believe what he was seeing. He knew Helga was hurting and for a split second he saw a scared, vulnerable Helga. Definitely not the rough and tough girl he had grown accustomed to. He always knew she had a softer side somewhere, otherwise she wouldn't have thought to help him out in the past. It just took a lot of effort to get her to show it.

Memories of the FTi adventure flashed through his head.

She wouldn't have told him she loved him if she didn't have a soft side…right?


	3. Introspection

After Arnold left around four, Helga decided to vent her frustrations with life through poetry. She had a little black journal that she would write in whenever something happened between her and her family. The pink journals were reserved for Arnold.

And so she wrote. She wrote about how angry she was that her mom left, especially after proving she could stop drinking. She was angry that her father wasn't doing much by means of defending her against Cathy and the girls. She was angry that Cathy treated her the way she did, even if Helga wasn't always a perfect angel herself. Most of all, however, she was hurting. She felt betrayed by her parents and their actions both past and present. They had never noticed her much in the past. Big Bob was always focused on something else, whether it was the TV, his company, or Olga. Miriam, when she was able to focus, was also more interested in Olga's life. As far back as Helga could remember, her wants and needs had been set on the back-burner and she felt alone.

She wasn't used to compliments or kindness. She lived in her sister's shadow for her whole life and never felt like she'd be able to measure up to that kind of perfection. But at the same time, Helga wondered if anyone would even take notice if she _did_ manage to beat the odds and become an overachiever like Olga. The frustration with this seemingly unattainable goal settled in the pit of Helga's stomach for most of her life. She was lonely, but more so than that, she was afraid of getting hurt. When she was younger her heart had been open but with rejection after rejection from her parents, Helga began to close herself off, whether she realized it or not.

It wasn't until a little boy with a football-shaped head showed her some kindness on the first day of preschool that she realized someone _could_ notice her. Big Bob and Miriam couldn't be bothered to walk Helga to school that day, despite her efforts at gaining their attention. Instead, as usual, they were more focused on Olga. So she took her little lunchbox and walked out the door alone. Rain fell from dark, ominous clouds as Helga was splashed with mud, and by the time she got to school, her lunchbox had been stolen by a stray dog.

She was on the verge of tears when she reached the building but all of a sudden, the rain stopped. Surprised, Helga looked up to find that the rain, in fact, had not stopped but a little boy had shielded her with his umbrella. He introduced himself as Arnold and complimented her pink bow before walking inside.

Someone in this world could even c_are _about her. However, the walls went up even more when her new classmates teased Helga for her fascination and adoration of that little boy. Ever since that day Helga used anger to cover up her deepest of fears and emotions. She figured if she pushed people far away enough, no one would get close enough to hurt her. Even Arnold. What if Arnold rejected her? The one person who had consistently shown genuine compassion and understanding. The one person who made her feel noticed when she felt like she was screaming at the top of her lungs in a crowded room but no one could see her.

Now knowing Miriam _could_ be a better, functioning mom made things worse.

_Why couldn't she do that for me?_

She sobered up long enough to leave Helga here with her father. And of course, Big Bob found the perfect woman for him. Cathy loved to dote on him and Alexis and Camille were both honor students with more awards of their own to add to the house.

Helga finished her journal entry with a poem.

_If I make a sound,  
will it be heard?  
Or shall I not utter another word?_

_Sheltered within soundproof glass,  
could you know my voice?  
Would its carry last?_

_For how many nights have my shrieks fallen short,  
with only, if any, a bitter retort._

_If vehemence in my soul should rise,  
to whom, would then, come fearful demise?_

_Shall each unspoken thought resume  
its place, locked in a tomb?_

_If I let true intentions be known,  
would they be supported  
or would I be alone?_

_I wish they would,  
but I fear they should not.  
And so they linger forever to rot._

Trapped behind soundproof glass,  
in a crowded room I scream.  
Alas, no one turns their head,  
and so I am unseen.

Helga closed her little black journal and slipped it between the two mattresses of her bed before heading downstairs for dinner. She knew Cathy had been making a roast tonight and her mouth watered at the thought of the warm, tender meat falling apart with ease and the smooth, homemade gravy that always accompanied it.

She walked into the kitchen where she found the overhead light was out and only the small stove light was left on. The crockpot was off and empty, aside from a few slivers of meat and fat. On the stove, a pot of mashed potatoes and a smaller pot of broccoli had both been scraped clean. Helga could hear Big Bob, Cathy, and the girls in the living room watching The Wheel. They were laughing at some funny comment Alexis had made about the show's host.

Helga opened up the fridge to find the leftovers that had already been packed away. It would've been nice for someone to tell her that dinner was ready, at least before putting it in Tupperware and throwing it in the fridge. Helga pulled out a baggie with 2 small pieces of meat, a gigantic tub of leftover gravy, and a tiny bowl of mashed potatoes. She dumped the meat and potatoes on a dish along with a couple scoops of gravy and put it in the microwave for two minutes.

Helga peered around the doorway at her "family". Big Bob and Cathy were sitting close together on the couch with his arm around her shoulders. Cathy was a bit heavier than Miriam had been but she carried a lot of muscle in addition to her curves. Her and her daughters all had silky brown hair and dark brown eyes. Camille was sitting in Big Bob's favorite chair while Alexis sat cross-legged on the floor. Alexis was the spitting image of Cathy while Camille was a little stockier than her mother and sister. They all shared a lot of the same facial features and were attractive people in despite of everything. Helga watched as they talked about their days and laughed. They looked so happy together.

The microwave beeped a few times and Helga sat the hot plate on the counter.

"Make sure you clean up your mess, Helga!" Cathy yelled from the living room.

Helga rolled her eyes and glared at her food as she hurried upstairs to her room and shut the door.

As she ate, she thought more about what Arnold had been saying earlier that day. To her surprise, he'd been insistent on helping her, despite how much she'd been pushing away. That didn't surprise her too much though; she knew Arnold and he was a caring, generous person no matter what. That's part of why she loved him so much.

"_Helga, if you ever need anything, I'm here for you."_

She couldn't help but smile when he said that to her. Over the years it'd become increasingly more difficult to keep up her act when she was with Arnold, particularly if they were alone. She had already confessed to him once and even if he was the densest kid she knew, he had to know the whole "heat of the moment" thing was ridiculous.

Back at the boarding house, Grandma Gertie was in the kitchen making dinner while Grandpa Phil read a newspaper at the table.

"Hey there, Shortman. How'd your study date go with your little friend?"

Arnold rolled his eyes at the word "date". "It was fine, Grandpa," his gaze softened. "Except… well, Helga's stepmom hit her in the face."

"Oh, my word," Grandma set her ladle down on the counter and turned her attention to Arnold.

"I overheard a big fight between the two of them and Ms. Cathy said a lot of horrible things about Helga. None of which I think are true but Helga got really upset. I just don't know what to do. I really want to help but…"

"Does Big Bob know?" Grandpa questioned.

"Helga says he does. She said he didn't care," Arnold looked away. "I still wanted to tell him, though."

"Well, Arnold, there isn't a whole lot you can do. Big Bob should know that Cathy hit his daughter but just try not to get yourself in any trouble, Shortman."

"I won't," Arnold's gaze fell to his hands in his lap. He was still concerned.

"If things don't get better after you tell Big Bob, you can tell your little friend she can stay here a while," Grandpa offered while Grandma nodded in agreement.

Arnold looked up and smiled. "Thanks Grandpa!"

Later that evening, Arnold was in his room, laying on the bed and looking up at the sky through his sunroof.

It had been a few years since they saved the neighborhood and, despite the fact Helga had gone back to her mean, bullying self, Arnold couldn't help but replay their encounter on the FTi rooftop in his head. Of course, the whole confession had come as a complete shock to him. He wasn't expecting Deep Voice to be Helga, let alone to hear Helga tell him she loved him. And then that kiss…

They had agreed to forget about the whole thing, chalking it up to an adrenaline rush, but Arnold couldn't let it go. Helga was known for becoming passionate… alright, hysterical… when major crises popped up, but the look in her eyes as she held him on that rooftop was more intense than he could handle. There was something about the way she looked at him, the things she said and the way she said them; he couldn't dismiss such a vivid memory.

After everything died down, he had toyed with the prospect of Helga actually loving him but it made him more confused the longer he thought about it. He had always cared about Helga, despite her actions, but what was he supposed to do if she genuinely loved him? Obviously, they hadn't talked about it for years now but Arnold still took the time here and there to reflect, especially now that he was so worried about her. It was hard to believe that someone loved you when they tortured you night and day. He focused on the idea of Helga possibly loving him more so than the other question that hovered over his subconscious: How _exactly_ did he feel about her?


	4. The Disclosure

"Hold up, Arnold. He did what?"

Monday afternoon in the cafeteria lunch line, Arnold decided to tell Gerald what Cathy did to Helga when he was at their house.

"She hit her. I've never seen Helga bullied like that, Gerald. It's usually Helga picking on someone else but seeing someone come down on her like that was… intense. I felt really bad for her," Arnold's tone was somber. _Should I have tried to stop Cathy?_

Gerald shook his head as he sat his lunchtray on a table.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. Never thought I'd see the day that Helga G. Pataki got a taste of her own medicine,"

"Gerald! This is a lot more serious than some dumb nicknames and shoving people around," Arnold opened his milk carton but didn't take a sip. "This is her home life and apparently her dad doesn't care. But I'll see about that,"

"Arnold, tell me you're not going to get involved," Gerald raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Helga doesn't even like you. She's always being mean to you and calling you names like Football-head, Hair boy, Arnoldo—"

Arnold cut him off. "It's the right thing to do, Gerald."

"Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say."

The rest of the day carried on as usual. By the time fourth period came along, Arnold found himself becoming more and more anxious to get in contact with Helga. He'd been thinking… worrying… about her ever since he left her house the other day and wanted to make sure nothing more had happened since then.

To his relief, Helga walked into the classroom as the bell rang.

"Hey Helga," Arnold whispered as she passed his desk.

Helga didn't respond but instead gave him an incredulous look. _Did he really just say "Hi" to me? Oh, be still my quivering heart._

Mr. Payne called the attention of the classroom and began.

"I'm going to give you all a free period to get together with your partners. Remember, your project is going to be due next week so you need to make sure to have your research paper, diagram, and any additional resources put together by next Tuesday. This will be the first grade of the semester so I hope everyone does well and starts their year off right."

The students stood up and moved around the classroom to sit with their partners. Helga didn't budge so Arnold picked up his notebook and backpack and sat down next to her.

"Hey Helga, how are you doing?"

Helga scowled. "I'm fine, Arnoldo. What's it to you?"

Arnold was a little taken aback. Even though he knew nothing major had changed between the two of them after Saturday, he'd hoped given the circumstances that things would've been different.

"Nevermind. Do you want to come to my house after school to try and finish our project? I mean, whatever we don't finish now."

"Whatever floats your boat, Football-head," Helga sighed. "I really want to get this stupid project over with."

Arnold and Helga looked over the notes they had taken over the weekend and made sure they both had the same information. They delegated who would be responsible for researching what topics. Helga chose the anatomy of the heart and disorders/diseases of the cardiovascular system and Arnold volunteered to research normal functioning and to put the finished product together on his computer.

The final bell rang and as the students filed out of the classroom, Helga caught sight of her math teacher, Mrs. Singer.

_Crap. Forgot about that._

"Hey Hairboy!" Helga jogged to catch up to Arnold who was a few paces ahead of her. "I forgot I have a math test I need to make up. I'm supposed to do that now so once I finish then I'll head over to your place, okay?"

"Sure, Helga. I'll see you in a little while."

On the bus, Arnold sat down next to Gerald who was bobbing his head to the music playing in his earphones.

"How's your project lookin', Arnold?" Gerald removed an earbud from one ear.

"It's fine," Arnold set his backpack on the floor by his feet. "Helga's got her attitude back."

"Is that supposed to be a surprise? I still say you're gettin' in a little too deep with that girl. You know Big Bob. I wouldn't go messin' around with the Patakis."

Arnold rolled his eyes. "Gerald, I already told you I need to do this. It doesn't matter how much of a jerk Helga is sometimes. No one should be treated the way Cathy treated her. It's not fair."

Gerald sighed and shook his head but didn't argue.

The bus dropped Arnold off in front of the boarding house and he opened the front door to go in, stepping aside to let a montage of animals race past him.

Arnold set his backpack down by the stairs and before even going up to his room, he decided to call Big Bob. He was a little nervous as he picked up the phone and started dialing the Pataki residence. Thankfully, it was Big Bob himself who answered on the third ring.

"Yeah?" Bob's voice resembled a growl.

"Hi there, Mr. Pataki. Umm… I was calling to tell you something about Helga," Arnold fidgeted with the phone's cord.

Big Bob was quiet for a minute. "Oh, the girl. Well, what is it? And who is this?"

"Sorry, this is Arnold. I was calling because I was at your house on Saturday and I don't know if you knew this or not but I wanted to tell you something that happened." Arnold hesitated.

The frustration in Big Bob's voice was evident. "Well, get on with it, boy. I don't have all day!"

Arnold took a breath. "Well, when I was over there, Helga and Ms. Cathy, err… Mrs. Pataki got into a big fight and Mrs. Pataki actually hit Helga." Arnold finished his sentence quickly and waited for Big Bob's response.

He was quiet for a minute before saying, "Thanks Arnie," and hanging up.

Arnold felt like he'd been holding his breath in for the duration of that phone call so when he put the receiver back down, he let out a sigh of relief. However, he was still a little concerned. _I hope I actually did do the right thing._

It was about three-thirty when Helga walked out of the school having completed her math test. Last week she had woken up late and since math was her first period class, she unfortunately got to school after the tests had already been completed and turned in. She was lucky that Mrs. Singer had been nice enough to give her a make-up test.

As Helga walked in the direction of Arnold's house, she couldn't help but daydream about him.

_Oh, my love. Here we are, yet again, set to work together on, of all things, a project of the heart. If only you knew the way that mine quivers at the thought of your emerald eyes, gazing into mine. Could it not be fate causing us to work so intimately on a project that details the most passionate of organs? Oh, Arnold, if only you could see through my blustery façade and study _my_ heart, the way that I have so long admired yours._

Helga stopped in front of the boarding house and hesitated before knocking. She had never really been to his house for reasons other than preventing a catastrophe – namely, preventing her secret from being revealed.

Grandma Gertie opened the door. "Oh, Eleanor, it's wonderful to see you again. Prince Henry is upstairs awaiting your arrival in the presidential suite."

"Thanks, I think…" Helga gave Gertie a strange look before heading up the stairs. She shouldn't technically have known where she was going but, unbeknownst to Arnold, she knew her way around his house especially well. She had just reached the top of the stairs when Arnold was coming down the ladder leading to his bedroom.

"Hi, Helga. I thought I heard someone at the door,"

"Hey there, Football-head, I'm here now so let's get back to work, shall we? Chop, chop." Helga rolled her eyes at him.

Arnold sighed, rolling his eyes as well, as he led Helga up to his bedroom. Helga unloaded the contents of her backpack onto Arnold's couch as he booted up the laptop sitting on his desk.

Surprisingly, the evening carried on pleasantly as they researched together and Helga did her best to control her attitude.

"Okay, now our diagram," Arnold pulled out the blank diagram of the heart that Mr. Payne had given them. "We just need to fill in what all of the parts are so we have this to study from for the exam. Do you have your notes on this?"

"Of course I do. Doi!" Helga flipped through her notebook and stopped on one of the pages before dictating to Arnold which component was which.

"Superior vena cava," Helga pointed to the appropriate blank spaces on the sheet as she spoke. "Inferior vena cava… aorta… aortic valve… tricuspid valve…"

Once they had finished filling out their diagram, Helga drew a crude version of the diagram on a sheet of paper to keep for her own notes.

"It would have made sense for Mr. Payne to give us two copies of this," Arnold suggested.

"Uh, ya think?" Helga copied the last label onto her diagram and filed the paper away in the front of her notebook.

Arnold looked at the clock. It was going on six o' clock.

"Do you want to stay for dinner, Helga?"

Helga's eyes widened before she regained her composure enough to respond, "Sure, if that'll make you happy, Hairboy." Inside, she sighed dreamily.

Helga left Arnold's house around seven thirty and headed home. She thought about how Arnold's grandpa and the boarders had been staring at her a lot during dinner. The possibility that Arnold had told them what happened on Saturday passed through her head but she quickly dismissed the thought.

Helga could hear shouting from inside Helga's house before she even stepped foot on the stoop. She rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath before opening the door.

Once inside, she started to walk upstairs before Alexis came into the foyer.

"So you like to run your mouth, huh?"

"What are you talking about, _Alexis_?" Helga said her name like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Who do you think you are going around and talking shit about my mother? She does so much for your sorry ass and you think it's okay to just trash her?"

"I never said anything! What are you talking about?" Helga exclaimed.

"Whatever, Helga. Just don't be surprised when the same kind of crap happens to you. I'm done with you. You aren't worth it." Alexis stormed off, leaving a confused Helga still on the stairs.

On the way to her room, Helga passed Camille's bedroom.

"Hey!" Camille came out of her door. "Do you know what you're doing to this family?"

Helga turned around to face her, exasperated.

"I just got off the phone with my mom and she and your dad got into a big fight. What the hell is your problem?"

"I just got done being questioned by Alexis. I still don't know what you two are yammering about," Helga opened the door to her room and Camille followed her in.

"Well, apparently you're goin' around telling people my mom is some abusive bitch because one of your little friends called here and told your dad that my mom hit you."

Helga stopped in her tracks and her breath caught in her throat. _Arnold…_

"Well, first of all, she did hit me. Second of all, I didn't tell anyone. The friend who called? Yeah, he saw the whole freaking thing 'cause he was here. Not my fault." Helga glared at her nightstand as she busily rearranged the items on it, avoiding eye contact with Camille.

"Yeah, well. If you break this family up, you're gonna be sorry. I don't think they would but if my mom and your dad ever split up, your dad would be heartbroken and it would be your fault for being so selfish," Camille didn't give Helga a chance to respond before she left the room, swiftly shutting the door behind her.

Helga took a deep breath before angrily throwing her backpack to the other side of the room. Its contents spilled out as it hit the wall and fell in the corner.

_Why did Arnold have to call my house? Ugh! _

Helga's gaze softened as she looked thoughtfully out the window.

_He really does care, the pathetic sap…_

Helga smiled before her thoughts quickly returned to the tension building in her house. She pulled her little black journal out from its place between her mattresses and sat down on her bed, scribbling furiously.

_Your words fall down on me like hail in the night,_

_denting my soul with the wrath of your might._

_Scattered waves throwing me onto a beach,_

_sharp rocks pierce my heart with hope out of reach._

_Each moment in time, whenever I try,_

_thoughts drown out actions, I can only lie._

_I tear out my heart and expose it to you,_

_but you can only deem me untrue._

_Each word, each thought that passes my lips,_

_each action, each movement, toes to fingertips._

_A lie, a facade, a dismal brew,_

_of anything I can do to dismay you._

_You believe my intent is to cause panic and fury,_

_when I'm slow, you tell me I'm fast,_

_when I'm quick, you say to hurry._

_Liars, liars, thieves and bandits,_

_love can't tear you apart, or can it?_

_Unconditional, it should be custom,_

_but there's nothing if you can't trust them._

_Each word like a bullet perforating my chest,_

_there's no protection, you've stolen my vest._

_Each time I try to reconcile,_

_your anger is hidden by your sweet denial._

_Pennies in a jar, holding my tears,_

_counting the year I've hidden my fears._

_When at last the jar can't take anymore,_

_and when I break down, you wonder what for._

_You think it's in my head, craving attention,_

_when I hide away you think it's convention._

_Tiptoeing on shattered glass,_

_never thinking I'll make it past._

_Your eyes speak fierce or dull indifference,_

_neither seen nor heard is surely your preference._

_My cup floods over with emotions withheld,_

_and I hide til the light comes, alone in my shell._

Helga read over what she had written, noticing a tear that had fallen on one of the pages, smudging her handwriting. She stuffed the journal between her mattresses and rolled over on her bed, drying her eyes on the pillow before falling asleep.


	5. Confrontation

**[A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad everyone is liking the story so far. After this chapter, updates are going to become a little more spaced out because I start classes tomorrow but it shouldn't take *too* long for me to add more chapters. I have the entire story outlined, it's just a matter of fleshing it out. Again, thanks for reading and enjoy!]**

The following day, Helga was sitting at a lunch table poking suspiciously at the slice of pizza she'd bought when Phoebe sat down next to her.

"Greetings, Helga!" Phoebe's cheerful disposition broke Helga's concentration. "How are you doing today?"

"Hey Pheebs, how's it goin'?" Helga only glanced up at her friend.

"Oh I'm great. This weekend my family and I are attending a fencing tournament and I couldn't be more excited!" Phoebe opened her lunchbox, revealing a well-organized meal consisting of an apple, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a plastic bottle of milk.

"Sounds nice," Helga's attention still wasn't focused on the conversation.

"What's wrong, Helga?" Phoebe asked as she took a bite of her sandwich.

Helga grumbled. "Well, Cathy and the girls are giving me hell, Bob is being the same blowhard jerk he always is and the good ol' Football-head himself decided to get involved, which of course caused more grief," Helga glared in the direction of the cafeteria doors.

"I'm sorry to hear all of that, Helga. I'm sure Arnold was only trying to help," Phoebe rationalized.

At that moment, Arnold and Gerald came out of the lunch line carrying their trays. They sat down at a table on the other side of the room when Helga came over to them.

"Hey Football-head!" Helga didn't try to conceal her frustration. "What did you think you were doing calling my house?"

Gerald gave Arnold a knowing look as he whispered, "I told you!"

Arnold shot a look back at Gerald before responding to Helga. "Look Helga, I'm sorry. Come here," Arnold grabbed her arm and led her outside the cafeteria into the empty hallway.

He continued, "I couldn't just _not_ tell your dad. If that kind of stuff is going on in your house on a _regular_ basis, you know something needs to change don't you? I don't want to see you get hurt." Arnold looked Helga directly in the eyes as he spoke.

Helga's heart skipped a beat at his last sentence before she resumed the argument. "But it isn't any of your business, Arnoldo. I caught enough crap last night when everyone found out you called. I can handle myself, okay?" Helga looked away, re-experiencing the emotions she felt the night before.

"Why, Helga? What happened last night?" Arnold looked at Helga expectantly, a gentle hand on her arm.

Helga jerked away from the touch. "Nothing, Arnold. Just leave it alone." She said softly.

Arnold frowned and shrugged in defeat. "Okay Helga, whatever you say." With that, he turned around and went back into the lunchroom to his table.

Helga watched him leave and sighed sadly. She leaned against the wall and allowed herself to slide down until she was sitting on the hallway floor.

_Why do I always have to push him away? He's probably the only one who actually cares. Look at him, he's trying. Arnold, the gallant hero, trying to save the damsel in distress._

Helga pulled her knees up to her chest.

_What if I'm not worth saving?_

Fourth period came and went. Mr. Payne didn't give the class time to get together with their partners so Arnold and Helga weren't forced to work together. However, Arnold found himself continuously looking over at Helga.

_I wonder if she's okay._

Arnold watched as Helga scribbled in a little notebook, seemingly unaware of Mr. Payne's lecture. He thought about what could've happened after he told Big Bob about Cathy. _Did they hurt her again? _Arnold's eyes narrowed at the thought. He looked over at her again.

_I know this is hurting her. There's no way it isn't. She looks so sad, even when she's yelling at me. I wish she wouldn't push me away. I just want to help her._

Arnold stared at Helga for another minute or two. He watched her deep blue eyes as they focused on her notebook, sometimes shifting to gaze out the window. He admired her hands, so delicate as they fervently wrote in her notebook. For the first time he was seeing those hands, not as tools used to threaten, but as hands he wanted to hold.

_Whoa, where did that come from? _

Arnold turned around in his chair quickly and tried his best to focus on the rest of Mr. Payne's lecture.

After school, Helga walked through the door to what she thought was an empty home. She didn't hear anyone else in the house until Cathy came around the corner.

"So was that fun?" Cathy asked Helga, her voice soaked in sarcasm.

"What?"

"You know damn well 'what'," Cathy snarled. "You really think you're gonna come between your father and I over me smacking a little sense into you? No one has apparently taught you to respect your elders, little girl. You were long overdue and your dad knows it."

Helga felt anger boiling in the pit of her stomach. "I didn't say anything to anyone. You were the one who couldn't control yourself long enough to realize there was someone else in the house and they were _standing right there!"_ Helga turned and pointed at the staircase.

"Take some responsibility, Helga. I know it's hard 'cause you've been spoiled all your life but you need to grow up. Don't blame shit on your little friends. If you wanna make a habit of that, say goodbye to them because no one's gonna wanna be around you. Not that I understand how you have any friends to begin with."

Helga glared at her. "Just leave me alone," she started to walk up the stairs as Cathy yelled after her.

"Don't you walk away from me you little brat," Cathy started to follow her as Helga quickened her pace to no avail. Cathy caught Helga's bedroom door before Helga was able to shut it.

"Why can't you just leave me alone!" Helga yelled as she sat down on her bed and Cathy came through the door.

"I will leave you alone when I choose to. I'm an adult and I'm sorry if your parents never taught you this but you can't speak to adults like that," Cathy crossed her arms. "Don't come out of this room until you know how to act your age."

Helga scowled as Cathy walked out of the room without shutting the door behind her. Once she heard Cathy walking down the stairs she got up from her bed and slammed the door closed.

Helga locked her bedroom door and walked over to her laptop, pulling up her music collection. Once she found a song she liked she turned the volume up as loud as it would go and flopped onto her bed. She let the lyrics of the song accompany the angry thoughts running through her head.

_I watch how the moon sits in the sky_  
_On a dark night, shining with the light from the sun,  
But the sun doesn't give light to the moon  
Assuming the moon's going to owe it one.  
It makes me think of how you act to me,  
You do favors and then rapidly  
You just turn around and start asking me about  
Things that you want back from me._

_I'm sick of the tension, sick of the hunger_  
_Sick of you acting like I owe you this._  
_Find another place to feed your greed_  
_While I find a place to rest._

_I want to be in another place,_  
_I hate when you say you don't understand._  
_(You'll see it's not meant to be)_  
_I want to be in the energy, not with the enemy_  
_A place for my head._

_Maybe someday I'll be just like you, and  
Step on people like you do and  
Run away all the people I thought I knew.  
I remember back then who you were  
You used to be calm, used to be strong  
Used to be generous, but you should've known  
That you'd wear out your welcome  
Now you see how quiet it is, all alone._

The singer was about to start screaming toward the end of the song when Big Bob banged on Helga's bedroom door.

"Olga! Open this freakin' door!"

Helga jumped out of bed and quickly turned the volume down on her laptop before opening the door.

"What do you think you're doing blasting that crap through this house, little lady? I can't hear myself think! Sheesh!"

"Sorry, _Dad_," Helga scowled.

"That's more like it," Big Bob was about to walk away when Helga stopped him.

"What happened between you and Cathy?" Helga's tone wasn't as aggressive as it had been a minute ago.

"What do you mean?" Big Bob turned around, humoring her.

"I mean, according to everyone in this house, you know she hit me and you two got in a fight but that's all I know," Helga explained before rolling her eyes. "Everything seems _back to normal _now."

"Yeah, your friend Alfred-"

"Arnold,"

"Whatever. He called and told me what he saw. And yeah, I talked about it with Cathy but at the same time, you know as well as anyone that you need to watch your mouth. That little attitude of yours is gonna get you into more trouble one day if you don't learn to control it. How am I supposed to defend you when you aren't acting any better than anyone else?" Big Bob made it obvious the discussion was over as he simply walked away.

Helga stood wistfully in her doorway for a minute before a scowl returned to her face and she shut the door. She turned the volume on her computer back up, though not as loud as it had been, before returning to her bed. She lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling, as she caught a fragment of the song that had already started playing.

_I am a little bit insecure, a little unconfident_  
_Cause you don't understand I do what I can but sometimes I don't make sense._  
_I am what you never wanted to say, but I've never had a doubt_  
_It's like no matter what I do I can't convince you for once just to hear me out._  
_So I let go, watching you, turn your back like you always do._  
_Face away and pretend that I'm not,_  
_But I'll be here 'cause you're all that I've got._

_I can't feel the way I did before,  
Don't turn your back on me,  
I won't be ignored.  
Time won't heal this damage anymore,  
Don't turn your back on me,  
I won't be ignored._

**[A/N: The two songs referenced in this chapter were by Linkin Park; "A place for my head" and "Faint", respectively.]**


	6. The Breaking Point

**[A/N: I managed to finish another chapter since I only had one class today. Enjoy!]**_  
_

_I am Pandora's box,  
in all its evil splendor.  
I hold demons within my heart,  
I have no defender._

_Fighting them off,  
not a word I mutter;  
perhaps you may hear me utter._

_"Someone help me,  
someone care.  
Prove to me that someone's there."_

_These demons inside fog my vision,  
I stand before an inquisition.  
Yes, I'm guilty,  
but hear my plea.  
I yearn for love,  
I yearn to be free._

It was almost nine o' clock when Helga's phone rang. After all of the fighting earlier this afternoon, she'd lost her anger and the adrenaline that came with it, leaving her in a state of melancholy. She never really showed how sensitive she could be around other people. There were certain emotions that Helga was not comfortable sharing and the biggest one was probably vulnerability. Over the years she'd thrown herself into writing as her primary outlet for all of the pent-up frustration and anguish she harbored. She closed her little black journal and stuffed it back in its hiding place as Big Bob yelled up the stairs.

"Helga! Phone!"

She picked up the receiver to the phone on her nightstand.

"Hello?"

"Hey Helga, it's Arnold."

_Arnold?! What is he doing calling me? _Helga began to swoon before another thought crossed her mind.

_Oh man, I really hope he didn't talk to my dad about anything first…_

"What now, Football-head?"

"I was calling to ask you something about our paper… Helga, are you okay?"

She hadn't realized until that moment that she was sniffling. She had only allowed herself to shed a couple tears while she was writing but that had been enough to clog her sinuses.

Helga grumbled back, "I'm _fine, _Arnoldo. Now, what did you _actually_ want to know?"

Arnold paused. "Well, I'm starting to put our paper together now and I couldn't remember the formatting Mr. Payne wanted us to use. Was it MLA or APA?"

"He said he wanted us to use CSE but since he didn't have time to go over _how_ to use it, we could use whatever we knew. I think he said he'd give extra credit if we use CSE, though." Helga responded as the shakiness in her voice began to dispel.

"Oh," Arnold thought for a minute. He hadn't heard anything about CSE. "I guess I'm gonna have to look into that."

"Yup," Helga sighed and twirled the phone cord around her fingers.

"Hey Helga?"

"Yes? I'm still here." Helga replied brusquely.

"Look, I know you're dealing with a lot of stuff, and I know you don't really want to talk about it. But to be honest, I've been… well…" Arnold hesitated. "… just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Helga was silent for a moment as she sat down on her bed.

"Thanks, Arnold."

. . . . . . . .

By the time Friday rolled around, Arnold and Helga hadn't talked to each other very much. However, Arnold was still debating with himself over his feelings for Helga.

He knew he cared about her and wanted to make sure she was okay. But that's what he would do for anyone in her situation. Something about the fact it was happening to _Helga_ had struck a nerve and he couldn't quite explain why. It was driving him crazy that she hadn't talked to him since the other night and he had no idea if things had gotten better or worse at home.

Thursday night he couldn't get Helga out of his mind as he was trying to fall asleep. He thought about how pretty she looked when her bangs fell in her face, and she'd push them over to the side and mumble, obviously frustrated with the overgrown locks. He thought about how he'd never really noticed until recently the piercing depth of her eyes when she was particularly focused on something.

After a few minutes of thoughts like these, he'd shake his head in confusion, wondering what on Earth was wrong with him. Then he'd reminisce on good and bad times he'd had with Helga. He would start thinking about all of the times she called him names or tripped him or shot his face with water from the fountain… but without consciously trying, his thoughts would drift to sweeter moments. He thought about how scared he'd been when the neighborhood flooded and Helga fell out the window while they were trying to save Mr. Simmons. As soon as she fell out he had automatically yelled "No!" while Helga simultaneously called his name.

_I didn't even try to say anything. It just came out._

He thought about how Helga had comforted him after Lila dumped him, which especially confused him when he finally found out she had been in love with him. He thought about all of the times he'd hugged her and she'd reciprocated, even if it didn't last long. He thought about how she showed up unexpectedly to help defend Mighty Pete, how she'd jump into his arms once in a while when she got really scared, how she'd started to recite poetry to him that time Big Bob hit her in the head with a golf ball. He thought about her confession on the FTi rooftop.

A whirlwind of flashbacks screeched to a halt when that moment came to the surface of his mind. He'd been in complete shock when she dropped that one on him. He remembered wondering if she'd lost her mind; this was _not_ the Helga he had always known. The initial shock ebbed into more confusion as she proceeded to corner him, confessing with passion he'd never seen from her before. The realization made him feel dizzy with disbelief. And when she kissed him, he'd felt his heart race to the point he thought he would pass out. She knew what she was doing but it had all been new to him, even if he _had_ kissed her back a little…

. . . . . . . .

On the bus ride home, Helga sat by herself in the very back. Phoebe's parents had picked her up from school a little early so they could get started on their long drive to the fencing tournament.

Helga snuck a few longing stares at Arnold who was seated a few spaces up with Gerald and some of the other boys in her class.

She was actually in a better mood that day than she had been recently. In math class that morning she'd found out she aced the test she had to make up and nothing particularly frustrating had happened at home with her family. She pulled out her little pink journal and opened to a new page, allowing herself to focus less on her anger and more on her love.

_I can see his face in the flames of passion,  
a sight that makes my heart cry out.  
It yearns for his love in such a powerful fashion,  
yet he knows nothing of what has come about._

_Though we may be separated by matters beyond control,  
share but a few meaningful looks as we pass each other by,  
the distance will never take its toll,  
if only we can give this love a try._

_His eyes, as he gazes into mine, set a burning sensation within me,  
I can see beyond the physical; into his soul, his heart.  
Beyond a person's eyes, there's much more to see,  
a deeper intuition is the spirit's art._

The bus came to a halt outside of Helga's house and she quickly packed her little pink journal away in her backpack. As she walked down the aisle to the front of the bus, she wanted to say something to Arnold.

_Just, "hi", or something friendly. Come on, Helga. Open up a little. It's not that big a deal._

But, as usual, at the last minute she couldn't get the nerve and she passed him without even acknowledging she'd seen him. She got off the bus and walked up to her stoop before turning around to see Arnold looking at her from his window. She quickly turned around and went in the house.

Inside, Big Bob was in the living room watching a football game while Cathy was cleaning the kitchen. Camille was probably leaving work soon but Alexis had stayed after school to meet with the honor society.

Helga pulled her math test out of her backpack and was on her way into the living room when Cathy stopped her.

"Don't bother your father, Helga,"

"I'm not, I'm just showing him my test," Helga started to move forward again but Cathy was still blocking her path.

"Why?" Cathy's hands went to her hips. "Did you actually pass this time?"

Helga narrowed her eyes at Cathy but maintained an even tone, "Yeah, I did."

"Well, good for you," Cathy replied sardonically. "Maybe try doing that the first time around. Now go upstairs and let your father watch his game in peace."

Helga huffed and glared at Cathy but obliged. She put her test back in her backpack and trudged upstairs to her room.

"I can't stand that woman!" Helga fumed to herself once she was alone in her room. She tossed her backpack into the corner, mocking her stepmother. "_Don't bother your father, Helga. Maybe try doing that the _first _time around_. Hmph!"

. . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, Arnold was in his kitchen at the boarding house. Grandpa Phil inquired as to how things were going with Helga.

"I guess they're okay. I told Big Bob what happened to Helga but it doesn't sound like anything good came from it," Arnold crossed his arms on the table and sighed. "And I told Helga she could talk to me if she needed anything but who knows if that made any difference." _That girl is so hard to read._

"Well Shortman," Grandpa pulled up a chair opposite Arnold. "It sounds like you've done all you can do for now. You just gotta keep being a friend to her and see what happens. If she needs your help, I don't see why she wouldn't come around."

"I guess, Grandpa," Arnold stood up, still obviously deep in thought. "I'm gonna go upstairs and try to finish up our paper."

"Good luck, Shortman. I'll call ya when supper's ready."

. . . . . . . .

That evening, Helga and Camille were home alone. Big Bob and Cathy had gone out for dinner and Alexis was sleeping over at her friend Maureen's house for the night. Bob had given Helga and Camille money to buy themselves a pizza and they were waiting for it to arrive.

Helga was sprawled out on her bed with her little pink journal while Camille was in her bedroom playing her music loudly. Helga could feel the bass radiate through her bedframe as she struggled to focus on her writing.

_ Lying awake in the early morn,  
your face clouding my mind like the foggiest day.  
Three ways divided, my heart is torn,  
yet a yearning deep within captures what I can't say._

_Frustration and anguish, but there is love,  
something stronger than I can believe.  
As if destiny had thrown us together, some force from above,  
and the bond formed has gone unseen._

_The sight of him and my heart screams,  
such a terrible pain it's forced to endure.  
His love is scarce, mine bursts at the seams,  
I have a disease with no cure._

_A terminal illness I'll deal will all my life,  
while he brings my heart joy, yet inevitable strife._

Helga slammed her pen down into her notebook and sat up on the bed.

"How am I supposed to get anything done with that crap blaring?" Helga grumbled to herself as she walked out of her room.

Camille's bedroom door was open and the music was still booming through the house as Helga peered into her room. Camille wasn't in there. Helga walked down the stairs and looked around the first floor for Camille with no luck so she went back upstairs to Camille's bedroom. Helga walked over to Camille's stereo and turned the music down a few notches, particularly the bass, before leaving the room.

"Hey Helga!" Camille's voice could be heard from the bottom of the staircase. Found her.

Helga walked to the top of the steps. "Yeah?"

"Did you touch my music?" Camille's face was a challenge.

"Yeah, I couldn't hear myself think in my own stinkin' room. The bass was making my bed shake."

"What makes you think you can just walk into my room and touch my shit?" Camille started to go off. "Do I go into your room and mess with your stuff? No, I don't think so."

"But you weren't even _in_ your room, Camille. I _tried _to find you but couldn't. Why would you have it playing that loud if you weren't even in there? Criminy!" Helga crossed her arms and glared at Camille.

"You little skank, don't you talk to me like that. I'm grown and I'll kick your ass if that's what you need," Camille reciprocated Helga's nasty look.

"Yeah, whatever," Helga rolled her eyes and started to walk away before Camille came barreling up the stairs, pushing Helga into the wall.

"What the hell!" Helga yelled before Camille grabbed her hair, pulling her away from the wall only to throw her into it again, head first. Camille was about to come after Helga again when Helga punched Camille square in the face, surprising both of them. Before Helga had the chance to think about it for too long, she bolted into her bedroom and locked the door behind her.

Outside in the hall, Camille was banging on Helga's door, demanding to be let in. Helga could tell that Camille was throwing her full body weight against the door but it seemed to be holding up.

Helga grabbed her phone and quickly dialed Phoebe's number. By the second ring, Helga remembered Phoebe was already on her way to the fencing tournament.

_Crap, crap, crap!_

Helga hung up the phone and dialed again.

"Hello?" Arnold's voice.

"Hey Football-head!" Helga looked nervously at the door as she heard the hinges starting to creak with Camille's weight. "So, how about I come over? Sound good?"

"Umm, sure Helga but what's wro-"

"Okay, great!" Helga hung up the phone and looked around her room, trying to figure out how she was going to actually _get out._ Camille continued to bang on the door, her anger seeming to grow rather than dissipate with each failed attempt to get the door open.

Helga looked to the tree outside her window.

_Oh boy, here we go._

Helga shimmied her way out of the open window, latching onto a large branch that extended only a foot away from the windowsill. She didn't know if or when Camille was going to give up pounding on her door but she didn't want to be in front of the house when Camille went back downstairs. Helga quickly climbed down the tree as best she could but managed to fall the last couple feet.

She stood up, brushing herself off and ignoring the bruises that were surely developing before she started to run in the direction of Arnold's house.

**[A/N: Things aren't gonna be the same after all that. Let me know what you think! :) ]**


	7. Eruption

**[A/N: Trying to get as much of this story out before my classes really kick into gear! This chapter is only part of the whole "heart-to-heart" scene/section so I hope you enjoy.**

**Oh, and in case you forgot, I don't own Hey Arnold.]**

When Arnold opened his front door he was shocked at the sight of Helga. She had a few tears in her dress and there was dirt all over her. She had a small gash on her forehead with a large bruise around it, accompanied by another bruise stretching from her cheekbone to her jawline. Her hair had a few small twigs stuck in it and was disheveled to such an extent that most of her hair was no longer in pigtails. She looked like a complete mess.

"Helga! What happened?" Arnold's eyes were wide as he looked Helga up and down.

"I went to that new beauty salon down the street; do you think I can get my money back? What do you _think_ happened?!" Helga walked through the doorway into Arnold's foyer. Arnold led her into the kitchen where Grandpa and Grandma were sitting at the table.

"Mama Loni!" Grandpa stood up. "What happened?"

Arnold escorted Helga over to one of the kitchen chairs. "She got into a fight. Right, Helga?"

Her silence served as affirmation.

"Did ya win?" Grandpa sounded excited for a minute.

"Grandpa!" Arnold scolded.

"Sorry Shortman, I had to ask."

Grandma brought Helga a wet cloth to wipe her face and hands as Helga provided an abridged account of what happened between her and Camille, complete with sarcastic remarks.

Arnold felt his blood boiling as Helga described Camille's attack. However, it was Grandma who spoke up first.

"You are not going back there. We'll get you set up in one of the empty rooms for the night," she turned to Arnold. "Arnold, get your little friend a couple extra blankets from the linen closet and take her upstairs to get cleaned up. Have you eaten anything yet, dearie?" Grandma directed back to Helga.

Helga just shook her head.

"Alright then, come back down in a little while for something to eat."

Arnold walked Helga out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Grandma watched them go and Grandpa watched the determined look that was plastered on his wife's face.

"What are you thinkin', Pookie?"

"We're goin' over there tomorrow, Phil. I've got a few choice words for Mr. Big Bob Pataki."

. . . . . . . .

Arnold grabbed a couple blankets from a closet in the hallway and showed Helga where she'd find the bathroom and spare bedroom. They walked into the empty room and Arnold set the blankets down on the bare mattress. Helga looked around at the room and sighed.

"I don't have anything with me, ya know," she crossed her arms without looking at him. "No toothbrush, no change of clothes, no-"

"Don't worry about that," Arnold reached out to touch her shoulder but pulled back and diverted his attention. "You can wear some of my clothes to sleep in and I'll try to find an unused toothbrush that you can have."

Helga's heart fluttered at the thought of wearing Arnold's clothes.

_Oh, Arnold. So caring, so gallant, so willing to help in any way possible…_

"Okay," Helga's voice sounded small. There was no anger, no sarcasm. She sounded defeated. Or exhausted. Or both.

"You don't have to stay in here, by the way. You can come up and hang out in my room with me," Arnold offered.

Helga nodded and followed him back out into the hallway and up to his bedroom.

Arnold rummaged through his closet for clothes he thought would be comfortable for Helga to sleep in. He pulled out a pair of gym shorts and a tee shirt that he hoped would be able to fit her.

Helga took the clothes and gave Arnold a weak smile before she headed back downstairs to shower.

Arnold watched her leave the room and let out a long, frustrated sigh as he sat down on his bed, head in hands.

A variety of emotions were going through his mind as he waited for Helga to finish her shower. Anger at Camille for what she did to Helga, frustration and guilt that he hadn't been able to prevent this episode from happening, extreme concern for Helga's well-being.

He found himself pacing his room, trying to think of a way to fix everything, when Helga returned.

"Hey!" Arnold's face brightened when he caught sight of her.

"Hey…" Helga was still not being terribly talkative. She found it a lot easier to resist being mean to Arnold when she felt so defeated and weak but that just left her unusually quiet.

"So…" Arnold wrung his hands together nervously as Helga sat down on his couch, her wet hair pulled over across one shoulder. Arnold had outgrown Helga quite a bit since fourth grade so his clothes were a little big on her but fit well enough that they weren't falling off.

He looked at the wounds on her face. The cut on her forehead was no longer bleeding but her bruises were starting to darken. She was no longer covered in dirt or twigs; now she just looked like she was in pain.

Helga looked over at the laptop on Arnold's desk. "So, how's our paper look?"

"Helga, I don't want to talk about that right now," Arnold sat down on the couch next to Helga as she seemed to close in on herself, facing away from him a bit. "How did all of this happen? I wish you would've talked to me before… if I had known anything like this was going to happen –"

Helga cut him off and stood up with a new-found burst of energy and hands on her hips. "Do you think _I_ knew this was going to happen?" she snapped. "My family has _always_ been full of crap, ignoring me or forgetting about me. Pretending I don't exist so that their lives are easier or just treating me like crap in general."

Helga walked over to Arnold's desk, grasping the back of his desk chair and leaning forward.

She continued, "When you saw Cathy hit me, it was the first time that had ever happened. She'd been saying the same stuff for a long time but I was _just _as surprised as you were when she smacked me."

Arnold listened intently. He felt like something was pulling on his chest as he listened to Helga recount the details of her experiences with her stepfamily. She quoted to him verbatim some of the comments that Cathy, Alexis, and Camille had made to her, along with her own father's response to Cathy hitting her.

"Even when Miriam was around, before Cathy, my home life was still crap. I'm not even sure what was worse: having my real mom drink herself into oblivion, leaving me practically on my own while my big shot dad and perfect sister lived in their own little Never-Never land…" her eyes had softened but now filled with fury once again. "Or, having some random new woman and her daughters come in and, yeah they notice me, but I sure as hell wish they wouldn't…"

Arnold thought to himself, _Should I hug her? No, she's still going…_

"Telling me how ugly I am, how worthless, how pathetic… How I'd _never _make anything worthwhile out of myself because all of the good genes were spent on Olga and I'm just leftovers. Oh, and did you know? Apparently I was an unexpected _and _unwanted pregnancy. That really explains the age difference between Olga and I, don't ya think?" Helga felt tears welling up in her eyes and she cursed herself for breaking down but the flood gates had already opened. "Every single day I deal with this crap and it gets to a point where I'm just sick of it, and I want them to leave me alone but they won't. I can't get _one_ freaking day where they aren't telling me how useless I am. Which, you know what? It kind of figures, since they never really pay any attention to me until either it benefits them or they want to tell me off about something…"

Helga felt like a volcano was erupting in her chest. Every angry thought and feeling that she'd been bottling up was finally rising to the surface, making her feel like she was going to explode.

"Ugh!" Helga slammed both fists down as hard as she could onto Arnold's desk, knocking a jar of pens and pencils over, before she slumped down to the floor. _Great, now my hands hurt, too. Brilliant idea, Helga, just brilliant._

She had turned away from him but Arnold could tell by the way her shoulders shook that she'd started to cry. Without another thought, he went over and knelt behind her. He paused briefly before he cupped her hands in his and pulled her back into a hug. Arnold readjusted his weight, sitting cross-legged and pulling Helga in close to him as she continued to shake and sob.

_What do I do? What do I do?! _Arnold looked around awkwardly before looking back down at Helga who seemed to have gone off into her own little world. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared off into space, her shaking body slowly beginning to relax. Her wet hair had soaked through the front of his shirt so he couldn't tell what was water and what was tears.

As Helga's breathing began to become regular again, Arnold gently held her head against him and closed his eyes, trying to steady his own breathing. He didn't know what he could do about the situation, nor did he feel like he had the power to change anything this major, but that didn't stop him from being angry on Helga's behalf.

_ I can't believe she's been holding all of this in… I had no idea it was this bad. I know I heard Big Bob call her the wrong name a few times but sheesh… No wonder she's always angry all the time…_

Arnold looked down at Helga who looked like she was falling asleep.

_What if she has a concussion? Isn't she supposed to stay awake? How do you know if someone has a concussion? It looks like she hit her head pretty hard; it wouldn't surprise me if she got one… didn't she say she fell out of that tree, too? Ugh, what am I supposed to do now? I'll ask Grandpa; he should know._

Arnold looked around and slowly backed out from underneath Helga's weight. He gently lifted her up and carried her over to his bed.

Once her body hit the mattress, she reflexively curled up and turned over. Arnold pulled the blanket up and over Helga and started to walk away but he stopped. He turned around and walked back over to her. Helga's eyes were closed and her breathing had finally become regular. Arnold leaned down gently and kissed the top of her forehead before quickly leaving the room, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.


	8. The Continuation

**[A/N: The next segment of Helga and Arnold's heart to heart! Hope you like it!]**

Arnold was sitting at his desk with his laptop open, doing his best to focus on finishing the research paper. He was trying to put together the reference list but couldn't help but turn around consistently to look at Helga, asleep on his bed. It had only been forty-five minutes since she'd fallen asleep but it'd felt like forever to Arnold.

After he put Helga to bed, he'd gone downstairs to ask Grandpa if it was okay for Helga to sleep. He was worried that, with hitting her head so hard, she could've sustained a concussion but Grandpa reassured him she'd be fine. However, he did tell Arnold to keep an eye on her, just to be sure.

Gerald had called while Arnold was still downstairs.

"Hey man, what's up? Do you wanna go to the arcade tomorrow?"

Arnold didn't really want to tell Gerald what was going on at home. "I… can't. I don't think I can."

"And why not?" Gerald asked skeptically.

Arnold sighed, "If I tell you, you have to promise not to repeat what I say to anyone. Something happened tonight and I feel like it's going to carry over into tomorrow…"

"Well, spill it, Arnold! You know I won't tell anyone. I'm your best friend."

"Alright," Arnold paused. "Helga's here and –"

"Oh, here we go," Arnold could imagine his friend rolling his eyes.

"Gerald, seriously. It's bad. She showed up at my house and she's all beat up and…" Arnold thought about how he held Helga in his arms as she cried into his chest. "It's just really bad."

"Wow," Gerald was quiet for a minute. "So, Helga's there right now? What are you gonna do?"

"Yeah, she's asleep. And I don't know," Arnold paused again. "I'm still a little shocked but I'm really worried about her. I just want to fix everything for her but I don't know how and she practically fell apart right in front of me and –"

"Slow down, Arnold. You know there isn't much you can do, right? Like you said before, this is a big deal. You don't need to fix all of Helga's problems. "

"I have to do something, Gerald. I can't stand to see—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Gerald stopped Arnold mid-sentence, finally putting the puzzle pieces together. "Is this going where I _think _it's going?"

Arnold snapped out of his own thoughts, dumb-founded. "What are you talking about?"

"It _sounds_ like you're starting to like her, Arnold. I'm just sayin'…" Gerald waited for a reaction but Arnold was quiet.

"Man, oh man!" Gerald shook his head, though Arnold couldn't see him.

"Wait! No, Gerald. I mean," Arnold sighed. "I don't know."

"This is amazing! You realize that, right?" Gerald was surprised but entertained by the idea of Arnold having a crush on his own bully.

"Gerald, I didn't say anything, exactly. And that's not the point, anyway," Arnold tried to nip the topic in the bud. "Regardless, everything I've told you is between you and I, okay?"

"Sure thing. I'll talk to you later, _loverboy_," Gerald chuckled.

"Gerald…"

"Alright, alright. Bye."

After that conversation, Grandma asked where "dear sweet Eleanor" had gone. Shaking his head, Arnold informed her that she'd fallen asleep. Grandma sent a plate of food up with Arnold for Helga to eat once she woke up.

Arnold left the plate on a small table by the bed and sat down at his desk. The research paper was almost finished; he just needed to put together the reference list and proofread the whole thing. He tried to focus on the work but kept sneaking peaks at Helga. Peaks turned to looks and eventually Arnold walked over and sat down by the bed, leaning back against the frame and looking up at the stars.

The only light in the room came from Arnold's desk lamp and the minimal light from outside. Since the streetlights had come on and the moon had come out, a soft glow cascaded down through the sunroof, barely illuminating Helga's form.

_Do I really like her? _Arnold turned and looked up at Helga. She'd turned in her sleep so now she was facing out at him. Despite everything that had happened that night, she looked peaceful. The bruises on her face made Arnold want to cringe but he still thought she looked beautiful. He always had, when she wasn't being mean. Arnold turned back around and slouched down. It would've been one thing for him to just be helping a friend… but the idea of having actual feelings, romantic feelings, for Helga made things even more complicated.

. . . . . . . .

The room was dark when Helga started to stir. Slowly opening her eyes, she realized where she was.

_Arnold's room. _She looked down. _Arnold's bed! _

Her blood pressure rose and she sat up quickly, causing a shooting pain in her torso and a thumping headache to make their presence known. Something moved in the dark and she realized it was Arnold.

"Hey," he greeted her. He'd been sitting by her bedside and looked pretty happy to see she was awake.

"Hey," Helga replied, slowly laying back down in the hope that her headache would fade.

"Umm, how are you?" Arnold looked a little awkward, as he wasn't maintaining direct eye contact.

Helga thought about her break down. _Oh, no… he's gonna wanna talk about that… _Helga moaned in her head.

"Couldn't be better," Helga replied jokingly, propping herself up on an elbow and looking at Arnold who had pulled his desk chair over to the bed.

Her attempt at lightening the mood didn't work, as Arnold's facial expression remained serious.

"Helga, I don't know exactly what to say…" he began.

"Then don't say anything," Helga sighed. "There isn't really anything _to_ say. Just… ugh, please don't go telling anyone what I told you, okay? I might not be up to it right now but if you spill the beans you're gonna have to answer to—"

"Helga, stop," Arnold put his hand on her arm. "No more, okay? Stop putting on this tough face. You don't need to do that with me."

Helga hushed, her eyes widening before looking away. She turned over on her back, looking up at the stars just as Arnold had done moments ago. "So, now what?"

Arnold took a breath. "Well, apparently we're going over to your house tomorrow and getting your stuff. You're gonna stay here for a while. I don't know much more besides that," he noticed the food still sitting on the table and pulled it closer to Helga. "Here, my grandma made this for you."

Helga looked at the plate. A few slices of ham and a generous serving of macaroni. She sat up slowly, holding her head. "Do you have ibuprofen or something?"

"Yeah, hold on," Arnold quickly left the room in search of medicine.

Helga pushed the covers off of her and got into a comfortable sitting position on the bed. _I can't believe this is happening… _She felt so vulnerable. Of all people for her to just spill her guts to, it had been Arnold. He didn't seem to be rejecting her as some type of loony basketcase but she couldn't help but be embarrassed for laying her whole home life out on the table the way she did.

Arnold returned with the bottle of ibuprofen and handed three pills to Helga.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Arnold's eyes looked as though they were begging her to say yes.

"I'm fine, Arnold." Helga took the pills and washed them down with some of the water accompanying her meal.

There was an awkward silence in the room as Helga started to eat the dinner Grandma made. Arnold was trying to come up with the right thing to say but was still walking through unknown territory.

"So, should we call and tell your dad you'll be staying here tonight?"

Helga put her fork down and scowled at him. "Were you listening to _anything_ I told you earlier?"

Arnold backed down. "Alright, sorry…"

Helga sighed and pushed some macaroni noodles around on her plate. "It's alright, Arnold. But no, there's no point in calling him. Let him get worried… maybe. He didn't care when Cathy hit me, I'm sure it's no skin off his nose that I'm not there right now. I mean, for all I know, he might not even know I'm gone."

Arnold wanted to sit down next to her and hold her again. So far that'd been the only time he felt like he was doing something worthwhile to help her but he was afraid she'd push him away this time.

He was trying to think of something else to say to ward off awkward silence but to his surprise, Helga kept talking.

"I'm really surprised you're doing this, Arnold." Helga was still playing with her food, avoiding eye contact. "Actually, not a whole lot… but I'm kinda surprised. I mean, I've always been so mean to you in the past. I know how you are, though; it's in your personality to try and help people, even people as screwed up as me. I don't deserve it."

"Helga, you do deserve it. More than you know," Arnold finally got the nerve to get out of his chair and sit next to her on the bed but he didn't go any farther than that. "And I know you're not a mean person, deep down. I didn't realize until earlier _why_ you acted so mean all the time, but I know it's not who you are."

"You don't know the half of it, Arnold…"

Arnold leaned forward, trying to get into Helga's field of view and make eye contact. "You could tell me? I'm not gonna judge you."

Helga broke her concentration on the macaroni and looked over at Arnold. He had a sort of desperation in his eyes that perplexed her. She pushed the little table away from the bed and turned on the bed so she was facing Arnold. She pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned back against the shelves surrounding the bed. Taking a deep breath, she looked back down at the bed as she wrung her hands together.

"As far back as I can remember, things have not been very _peachy_ at home. Miriam always drank, even though for a while I was too young to realize it," Helga paused. "Bob's always been a jerk and they've both always been focused on Olga. And you know how Olga is… I mean, honestly, I know she cares… in her own "Olga" way, but she just doesn't get it. I don't know if she just never saw the way my life has always been or if she just ignored it, hoping it'd get better on its own. But all my life, it's always been about her and Big Bob and Miriam didn't really seem to notice me. I felt like I wasn't special, I felt like I wasn't…"

Helga paused again. She couldn't believe she was really telling Arnold all of this. "I felt like they didn't love me, ya know?" Helga tried to keep herself from choking up and, to her relief, she managed to hold herself together a lot better than she had earlier. Arnold just sat quietly listening. He didn't want to interrupt her and prevent her from getting out everything she needed to say.

"Nothing really changed until…" Helga paused again, realizing how deep this conversation was starting to go. Sure, she had confessed to Arnold on that rooftop years ago but this particular confession had the potential to really cut deep if he ended up pushing her away.

A moment passed and Arnold coaxed her on. "Until what, Helga?" he asked softly.

Taking a breath and looking away from him, "Nothing really changed until my first day of preschool,"


	9. Culmination

**[A/N: This chapter's a little short but I'm sure you all know that some important stuff is about to go down! I'm gonna try to pump out another chapter tomorrow since it's a holiday weekend. Enjoy!]**

It seemed Arnold had finally broken down Helga's walls.

"What happened on your first day of preschool?" Arnold was trying to gently coax the story out of her. It was obvious she was having mixed emotions about everything she was saying. The way her face contorted when she said something particularly sensitive and the way she hadn't looked at Arnold once since she started talking were giveaways of that.

Helga looked genuinely uncomfortable but she continued to tell her story, weakened by the evening's events. Or maybe it was the way Arnold was looking at her with such intense compassion; he obviously cared about her more than she ever realized.

Helga grabbed Arnold's pillow and held it in her lap, fidgeting with the tag as she began.

"I was actually kind of excited that morning, ya know? I think that's normal. You were probably excited on your first day, right? Yeah, well… it didn't last long. I remember coming downstairs, trying to figure out where everyone was, and came downstairs to find Bob and Miriam fawning over Olga and her stupid piano. I tried to get my dad to take me to preschool but he just kept pushing me away… and calling me Olga, as _usual_… so I gave up. I left the house by myself and no one noticed,"

The hard part was slowly approaching as Helga continued her story. She wasn't looking forward to that but the momentum was there so she powered through her discomfort.

"So," Helga took another deep breath and continued. "I walked to school. Which, ya know, probably wasn't the safest thing to do at three years old but it's not like I had a responsible parent to stop me. Anyway, I got splashed with mud at the crosswalk and I was soaking wet from the rain,"

Helga stopped and chuckled a little. "Then this stupid dog came up and stole my lunchbox. The joke was probably on him though, 'cause I doubt Miriam had put anything good, let alone edible in there…"

Arnold tried not to show how he was feeling but he was amazed at everything Helga had gone through. He always suspected there was something deeper going on with her but he couldn't have thought this stuff up if he tried. Part of him felt like his heart was melting, imagining a three-year –old Helga walking through the city, alone in the rain. That's when a vivid image found its way into his mind. He remembered seeing her like that, or at least he thought he did. But any doubts were quickly dispelled when he heard the next part of the story.

Helga sighed uncomfortably. "So I get up to the front of the school and all of a sudden, you're there. And… you put this umbrella over my head. You introduced yourself to me and told me you liked my bow "because it was pink like my pants." You have _no_ idea how that just blew my mind, Arnold… To have someone compliment me, let alone _notice_ me? That was just…"

Helga still hadn't looked at him but Arnold smiled at her. He remembered that. He remembered how sad she had looked and he remembered he just wanted to make her happy. Interestingly, that was sort of how he felt now.

"So, obviously you see how you sort of became my _favorite person _or something… And I remember you gave me your crackers at snacktime and you were just… so freaking nice," Helga continued to fidget, squirming as she said things that were particularly revealing. "And I mean, I guess I sort of liked you… then… because you were so nice to me, ya know? But then the other kids were making fun of me and I just," Helga sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I just couldn't deal with that."

"Helga…"

Arnold was about to move closer to Helga when she stood up abruptly.

"What?" Helga turned around, snapping at Arnold. "You want more? I already told you practically _everything_ there was to know when we were at FTi… albeit, maybe not in the most tactful way, but _criminy_, Arnold! What more do you need? You have my life story, can you just –"

Helga's outburst was cut off when Arnold also stood up, grasping her firmly but gently by the shoulders.

"Helga, I never forgot what you told me when we were saving the neighborhood," Arnold blushed before quickly changing the subject. "But listen, I'm glad I helped you back then. That's all I want to do now. I wish you hadn't closed yourself off but stop worrying about what other people think. Don't worry about what I think. 'Cause truth is, what I think is that you're a pretty amazing person, just like you said yourself up on that rooftop. I never knew you went through so much; I'm sure it really hurt you. And I'm sure I wouldn't know what I know now if I hadn't been there when Cathy hit you. Can you please, _please,_ just relax? I'm not forcing you to do anything, I'm not going to tell anyone about your home life; I just want to be your friend and help."

As soon as those last words came out, Arnold knew he'd made a mistake.

_Friend… right… _Helga's heart sank but she hid it pretty well behind an expert poker face.

"Helga, wait—"

But it was too late; she'd already walked out, headed for the spare bedroom.

"Ughhh!" Arnold flopped backwards on his bed and looked up at the stars, but this time all he could see was Helga's face in the constellations.

. . . . . . . .

The next morning, Helga cautiously led Arnold, Grandma, and Grandpa into the Pataki household. They heard the TV on in the living room and followed the noise. Big Bob was in his favorite chair when he noticed the group entering the room.

"Where the heck have you been, little lady?" Bob stood up and approached his daughter, more anger than worry in his voice.

Helga was about to speak when Grandma stepped up.

"Look at her face. Do you know who did that?"

Big Bob considered for a minute but Grandma continued, "Your stepdaughter! I knew you were low, Pataki, but this is just downright inhuman. You would let your home fall apart so much that your own family isn't safe? What kind of parent are you?"

Big Bob glared at Grandma. Then back at Helga.

"If she is so innocent, why does Camille have a nasty shiner of her own?" Turning back to Grandma, he continued, "And who are you to come into _my_ house and criticize my parenting, you old bat! I told the girl before and I'll say it again, I can't defend her if she's just gonna pull the same crap she gets mad at other people for!"

Big Bob and Grandma continued to go at it when Cathy came in and headed straight for Helga.

"You little sack of –"

"Hey!" Grandpa got between Cathy and Helga and leaned back into Arnold's ear, "Take her upstairs and get her stuff."

Arnold quickly ushered Helga up the stairs but not before Cathy could yell, "You just wait, Helga! You're gonna get what's coming to you."

Upstairs, Helga felt a sudden rush of relief when she saw that both Camille and Alexis' bedroom doors were closed.

She gathered her belongings as Arnold stood waiting in her doorway. Clothes, toiletries, her journal, school stuff; she stuffed everything she could think of into a pink suitcase. She threw her school backpack over her shoulder and was headed out the door with Arnold when Alexis came out of her room, seemingly unaware of the fighting happening downstairs in the foyer.

"You!" When Alexis caught sight of Helga she started in her direction but Arnold got in the way.

"Leave her alone!"

Alexis tried to get around Arnold but he was determined to keep her away from Helga.

"All bark and no bite, huh? You can talk a lot of shit and throw one little sucker punch but you never could handle a real fight, could you? Without _this kid_ protecting you, we both know where you'd be right now. Hiding in your room like a scared little pussy because you aren't woman enough to stand behind your words. You get knocked around a little bit for being the bitch that you are and so you go running off to your little boyfriend's house," Alexis turned to Arnold who was starting to clench his fists. "And believe me, you have my _utmost _sympathy."

Arnold narrowed his eyes at Alexis. "That's _enough!_" Grabbing Helga's hand, he guided her back to the staircase. "Don't listen to _any _of that, Helga, just come on."

"You are _so_ lucky Camille is at work!" Alexis yelled at them before going back into her room.

Once downstairs, Helga and Arnold found Grandma and Grandpa alone in the foyer.

"Ready?" Grandma asked, a victorious grin on her face.

"Yeah," Arnold answered for both of them.

Helga was in a state of bewilderment. Arnold had protected her, somehow his grandparents had fended off Bob and Cathy, and she was leaving, possibly for good. She felt like her head was spinning. And despite what Arnold said, Helga couldn't help but dwell on Alexis' words.

Once they were back in the Packard, Grandma explained what happened while Helga and Arnold were upstairs.

"Alright Eleanor, dear, you're going to continue to stay at our house until we can figure out something more permanent for you. Do you have everything you need with you?"

Helga looked at her bag but choked. Arnold noticed and spoke for her, "I think she has most of it."

"Good. Anything you forgot, we can come back another time once things have settled,"

Helga still felt like the world was spinning beneath her feet. Shaking her head, she asked, "How did you get them to back down?"

Grandpa spoke up, "Good old blackmail, right Pookie?"

Grandma smiled, "I'm sure Mr. Pataki wouldn't be very happy if his customers and business associates found out he was being investigated by social services."

Helga leaned back against the seat, finally starting to relax. _I think I'm gonna like this woman._

At the same time, Arnold was sneaking glances at Helga. He felt completely torn up inside. They had barely spoken since last night and for some reason, all he wanted to do was hold her hand. He wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be alright and show her the affection he knew she'd needed for years.

Helga was looking out the window when Arnold tried to discreetly reach for her hand. Without noticing his efforts, she slouched down in her seat, crossing her arms and pulling her hand out of reach.

Arnold leaned back against his seat and sighed as he also turned to look out the window. He didn't know what he wanted, exactly, or what he was doing. He just knew he was feeling something for Helga; something he wasn't expecting and something he didn't understand.


	10. The New Plan

**[A/N: Another chapter! I probably won't be able to write another one for a few days with school and all but I hope this one tides you over until then. It hasn't taken me very long to update thus far so it should be okay! As always, enjoy!]**

A few days passed and on Monday afternoon, Helga went home with Phoebe after school. It was definitely a relief to be able to go somewhere other than Arnold's house. As much as she couldn't help but love the fact she was living with him, the awkwardness between them was reaching its limit and Helga needed a break.

Helga was in Phoebe's bedroom, sitting at a small table in the corner, telling her about everything she'd missed during the fencing tournament. It would've been impossible to hide the whole debacle from her friend considering the fact she still had bruises on her face.

"Oh my gosh!" was all Phoebe could muster every few minutes during Helga's story. She told her about the fight between her and Camille, how she'd fallen out of the tree and ran to Arnold's house… she told her about the breakdown and the sort of "heart-to-heart" that her and Arnold had shared. She told her about Arnold's "friend" comment and how that had more or less shut things down and made interacting awkward. She ended by telling her how they got her stuff out of her house and left.

"I should've said something to Alexis. Ugh, she was asking for it!" Helga scolded herself. "I was just… I dunno, in shock I guess. Everything happened so fast; I don't think we were in there more than ten minutes. And Arnold wouldn't let Alexis and I get near each other… Once we left and I snapped out of whatever trance I was in, man I wanted to rip her a new one."

"Helga, I think its best that you didn't say anything to your stepsister. That's one of the criticisms your father has of you. Perhaps the fact that you remained quiet, though unintentional, could serve in your favor?"

"Maybe…" Helga considered the idea. "But anyway, just like I told the Football-head, this conversation is between you and I, got it?"

"Of course, Helga," Phoebe reassured her. "But speaking of Arnold, what do you plan to do about that situation?"

Helga was aware that Phoebe knew about Helga's love of Arnold. They'd never really come outright and talked about it before but there was an unspoken agreement between them that they were on the same page with this issue.

"I'll just deal with him. I'm sure he and his family don't want me there forever so I know the boarding house isn't permanent,"

"You know, Helga, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind letting you stay here for a while. I mean, if you're that uncomfortable at the boarding house." Phoebe offered but somehow she had a feeling Helga would resist.

"Yeah, well… I mean, Gertie went to all the trouble of getting me out of my house and fighting with Bob. I should probably stay there a little while longer… for Gertie…"

Helga tried to make her excuse believable but Phoebe knew her better than she thought. Helga still wanted to stay with Arnold. Even if things were awkward and uncomfortable, she was still living in his house and that wasn't an opportunity she was willing to pass up that easily. She always had a little hope that with the right plan and the right timing, Arnold could fall for her.

"Of course, Helga. For Gertie." Phoebe smiled knowingly at her friend.

Helga smiled back. _You're the best, Pheebs._

. . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, back at the boarding house, Grandma had sent Arnold upstairs to Helga's room with a basket of her clean laundry.

Living with her had been so awkward for the past few days; they were still barely talking and when they did speak to one another, it was uncomfortable and forced. Arnold was afraid she'd put her walls back up and that just made him frustrated, particularly with himself.

_Why did I say 'friend'? That isn't really how I feel anymore, but how am I supposed to tell her that? She'd think I was just feeling sorry for her…_

As Arnold walked into Helga's room, he took notice of how she'd made the room 'hers'. On Sunday, she'd managed to sneak back into her house, alone, and take her bedspread.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going?" Arnold had asked when she returned. "What if you'd gotten caught?"

"But I didn't," Helga turned up her nose. "So deal with it."

So now the once dismal room had a splash of pink color. Helga had cleaned off the dingy old desk that was in the corner of the room and now she had her laptop and school stuff on it. For the most part, the room hadn't changed _substantially,_ but looking at it, he could tell Helga was trying to get comfortable here.

He put the basket of clothes on the floor by Helga's bed and sat down for a minute. As he sat, he felt a sharp pain in his bottom.

_What the heck?_

He looked under the blanket but saw nothing so he lifted the top mattress a bit, revealing a little pink notebook.

_Why does this look familiar?_

Arnold opened it and flipped through the pages, vaguely remembering a little pink journal very similar to this one. As the realization dawned on him, his jaw dropped slightly.

_No way…_

Arnold closed the book, trying to save Helga's privacy but as he stared at it more and more, curiosity overtook him. He quickly browsed through most of the pages, stopping at one of the most recent entries.

_Heartbeats shift to a different cadence,  
brawling in a cage match to the death._

_What do you do when you pine for more?  
Aching for your ardor to be returned.  
What do you do when there's no point  
in hoping it's the same?  
When you care for someone  
more than they for you,  
your heart reveals itself  
as genuinely vulnerable._

_Your realization advances to the surface  
and when it bursts through the top,  
there's no air; it can't breathe.  
It's lungs contract and wither,  
break off,  
and float to the bottom of its cavity._

_Every moment of thought,  
every second it fathoms reality;  
your heart holds your lungs in its arms,  
hushing its muffled cries.  
Your heart does more  
yet expects nothing._

_Your heart carries the burdens  
of its neighbor's woes,  
and keeps its own plights stifled.  
Deep within a vault,  
never to be opened,  
That is,  
until one brave enough ventures forth._

Arnold quickly closed the little pink journal, his eyes wide and his heart racing.

_I need to fix this._

Arnold stuffed the journal back under the mattress, right where he found it, and left Helga's room, pulling the door shut behind him.

. . . . . . . .

That evening after dinner, Arnold came back to Helga's room and knocked on the door.

"It's open," a voice called from inside.

Arnold opened the door and found Helga lying on her bed reading a comic book and drinking a Yahoo soda from a straw.

"Hey Helga," he greeted.

"Oh, it's you. How's it goin' Football-head?" Helga only looked at him briefly before turning her attention back to the comic.

"It's fine," Arnold rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of an excuse for being there. "Do you wanna look at our paper one more time before we turn it in tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure. Just gimme a minute, will ya?" Helga never looked up.

Arnold started to walk back out but turned around, feeling a little brave.

"Are we okay, Helga?"

Helga looked at him and sat up. She looked at her comic book as she closed it and responded cheerfully "Yeah, Arnold. Everything's great," Her tone of voice and the look on her face didn't match.

Arnold wasn't convinced. "I just figured since the other day when we were talking and I said –"

"_I_ said, 'everything's fine', okay? I'll look at our paper later. Can I please just get a moment of peace to finish my comic? Sheesh…" Helga scowled at him, indicating it was time for him to leave. Arnold sighed and left the room, feeling defeated yet again.

. . . . . . . .

The next day during fourth period, Mr. Payne was collecting the research projects.

"Alright, class. You can set your research projects on the corner of my desk here. Please make sure to have _both_ partners' names in the top right-hand corner of your papers."

Arnold was dropping their research project off at the desk when Helga came into the classroom, just as the bell rang.

"Hey," Arnold tried smiling at her. "I just turned our project in,"

"Well I would hope so," Helga rolled her eyes at him and sat down at her desk.

Arnold slouched down at his own desk, letting out a frustrated sigh.

_What does she want from me? Every time I try to talk to her, she shuts me down. I want to tell her it was a mistake; I shouldn't have just called her a friend… but I can't do anything if she won't talk to me… _

Arnold barely paid attention during the class. Instead he just watched Helga take notes, switching back and forth between her school notebook and the little pink journal he'd found under her mattress.

_I wonder what she's writing now…_

Arnold's eyes were wide with curiosity, as he knew she was probably writing something about him, but he was too far away to read her thoughts.

_What can I do to show her how I feel about her? _

Arnold smiled to himself as an idea came to mind. He couldn't wait to get out of class now.

. . . . . . . .

On the bus, Arnold sat down next to Gerald, looking around to make sure Helga wasn't nearby.

"Hey Arnold, what's up?" Gerald eyed his friend's suspicious behavior. "What are you _doing_?"

Arnold, satisfied to see that Helga was a few rows behind them and caught up in a conversation with Phoebe, settled into his seat. "I need your help,"

"Is this gonna involve Helga?" Gerald knew him too well.

Shushing Gerald, Arnold quietly responded, "Yeah,"

"Jeez, Arnold. If you like her, just ask her out already. Hasn't this been going on long enough?" Gerald had done a lot of thinking about his friend's _interesting_ relationship with the class bully. Maybe there was a possibility Helga wasn't so bad. He had to admit she'd helped them a lot and she wasn't _always_ a jerk. Though he still didn't understand what the fascination was for, he decided he was going to be there for his best friend.

"Actually Gerald," Arnold paused. "I was hoping you could get me some information… from your friend Fuzzy Slippers, maybe?"

"Well, this is different," Gerald gave his friend a peculiar look. "What are you tryin' to do, man?"

Arnold looked around again, afraid that at the wrong moment, Helga could be right behind him for whatever reason.

Satisfied to see she was still otherwise engaged, he turned back to Gerald.

"I need an address,"

"For… who?" Gerald was still giving Arnold a strange look.

"Olga Pataki,"


	11. Taking Action

**[A/N: I was too excited so I stayed up late to write another chapter. The ****_next_**** chapter will probably be done in a couple days though. I'm having too much fun writing this story. Hope you like this chapter! It's a longer one. :) ]**

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Arnold? I don't think this is a very good idea,"

Arnold and Gerald were sitting in Gerald's kitchen discussing Arnold's plan.

"Come on, Gerald, it's a great idea!"

"Okay, let me get this straight," Gerald leaned forward against the table. "You want to tell Helga's sister, Olga, whom she isn't particularly fond of, about everything that's happened. Then you want to somehow reunite Helga with her sister and now sober mother, both of whom have not made any attempts at contacting Helga in years? _That's_ your brilliant plan, Arnold? How is that gonna get you the girl?" Gerald sat back against his chair, shaking his head at his friend.

"Well, I mean. It's not," Arnold explained. "It's supposed to help Helga in general. I know Olga really cares about her and if her mom is sober now, then maybe that means living with them could be the best thing for her?"

Gerald felt like he was going to pull a muscle in his neck: he was shaking his head so much during this conversation. "Arnold, what if there's a _reason_ they haven't tried to contact Helga? If they wanted her to live with them, wouldn't they have made some effort on their own? It's been like, three years, man. That's a lot of time that they could've spent trying to reconnect with Helga but they _didn't_ and you think you're gonna somehow patch everything up?"

Arnold looked down, "I've gotta at least try, Gerald,"

"Alright," Gerald sighed. "I'm with ya, man, but I don't think it's gonna work. And if Helga finds out what you're doing, even if she likes you as much as you say she does, you know she'll pound you, right?"

Arnold smirked. Despite how much Helga would threaten him, he couldn't imagine her _actually_ hurting him. "Don't worry, she won't find out."

"You're a bold kid, Arnold. A bold kid."

. . . . . . . .

Helga looked around at the room that she now called her own. She had a hard time feeling at home since most of her old furniture was still back at the Pataki household. The wallpaper was slowly peeling away and the wood floor was creaky with age. She had her bedspread and that made things a little more familiar but a bedspread doesn't make a "home". She just wanted something to hold onto, something that was _hers_.

As she sat on her bed, she pulled her locket out and stared longingly at her picture of Arnold, gently brushing her fingertips across the glass.

"Oh Arnold, I don't know what to do," Helga lay back across her bed. "You've seen me at my lowest now, and I pray that you keep my secrets between us… You know how I feel about you and as much as it pains me to say it, it doesn't look like my affections are going to be returned. Oh fate, why toy with a young girl's emotions? Oh cruel Cupid, why would you shoot one and not the other? Allowing me to dwell in this cavern of loneliness, awaiting a love that may never be requited…"

Helga returned her locket to the inner pocket of her dress and sighed. Maybe she just needed to accept the fact that she and Arnold would only be friends. There was so much other stuff going on in her life, wouldn't it make more sense to focus on the important things? As logical as that seemed, Helga had a hard time considering the prospect of giving up on Arnold. One doesn't spend more than ten years of their life on something only to throw it away so quickly.

Helga continued to daydream about Arnold and her conflicted emotions until curiosity struck. Arnold hadn't gotten off of the bus with her this afternoon.

_Where is the little Football-head anyway?_

. . . . . . . .

Arnold stood by eagerly as Gerald finished up his phone call with Fuzzy Slippers.

"Uh huh… right… 806… got it, thanks man," Gerald hung up.

"Well? He had it right?" Arnold peered over Gerald's shoulder at the notepad he'd used.

"Yeah, Arnold. Jeez, calm down," Gerald ripped the top sheet off of the notepad. "Here's the address. It's pretty far: about an hour. When were you planning on going?"

Arnold grinned at his friend, "Do you have any plans, tonight?"

"Oh, no. You're not getting me involved with all this. Helga might love you enough to not smash your face in but me? Uh-uh, I like _my_ face intact," Gerald crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Gerald, come on. I told you, she doesn't have to find out. And if she does, I'll make sure your name doesn't come up. Just come with me, please?"

Gerald thought for a minute but he knew he couldn't just leave his best friend hanging. "Alright Arnold, I'm in."

It was a long bus ride to Olga Pataki's house. They actually had to switch buses a couple times in order to get there. Along the way, Arnold started to get nervous. He wanted to help Helga and originally he thought that reuniting her with the other side of her family would be a good idea but the longer he sat on the bus, the more he started to doubt his plan.

_What if Gerald's right and they _don't_ want to reconnect with Helga? What am I supposed to do then? And if they do, how's Helga going to react? She'll probably be really mad at me… but maybe she won't be. I've gotta try though. The most important thing is helping her with her family… then I gotta figure out how to fix my relationship with her, or lack thereof…_

"Hey Arnold!" Gerald's voice snapped Arnold out of his thoughts. "What were you asleep or somethin', man?"

"Huh, what?" Arnold sat up straight in his seat. "What are you talkin' about?"

"Arnold, I love you like a brother but you were leanin' on my shoulder drooling all over me!"

"Oh, sorry," Arnold wiped the dried saliva from the side of his lip. "Are we almost there?"

"Yeah, next stop," Gerald looked out the window then turned back to Arnold. "You ready?"

"Yeah, I think so. Even if for some reason they don't want to reunite with Helga, it'll be okay. Helga can stay at my house and she never has to know I went to see her mother and sister."

"Whatever you say, Arnold. Here's our stop, let's go."

The bus came to a halt and the boys got off the bus in front of Olga and Miriam's new house.

"806 Broadway. This is it," Arnold confirmed.

He looked up at the tall green house in front of them. The window had a flower box with no blooms, considering the season. There was a mat in front of the large, decorative door that said "Welcome Home" with butterflies and flowers on it. The house looked well taken care of and pretty inviting.

Arnold walked up the steps and knocked on the door as Gerald waited a couple steps behind.

It was Olga who answered.

"Hello there, can I help you boys?" Olga smiled cheerfully.

"Hi! I don't know if you remember us but I'm Arnold and this is Gerald," Gerald gave Arnold a look; he didn't really want Arnold mentioning his name. Arnold continued, "We're friends of Helga's,"

Olga's smile faded slightly, "I see. Well, where are my manners? Do you want to come in?"

Arnold felt encouraged as he and Gerald followed Olga into the house.

"Mummy isn't home right now. She's still at work, actually," Olga commented as she led the boys into the living room.

_Wow, she's working now? She really has changed. _Arnold thought to himself.

"So what can I do for you boys?" Olga sat down in one of the chairs and invited Arnold and Gerald to sit as well.

Arnold sat down on the couch and Gerald followed, still feeling uncomfortable.

"Well, honestly, the reason I came to see you is actually pretty important," Arnold began. This wasn't going to be easy but he had to be as tactful as possible. "A lot of stuff has happened recently at home with Helga."

Arnold went on to tell Olga about the fights he witnessed and how Big Bob was reacting to them. He described the things that had been said to Helga and how much of a toll it was taking on her. He told her about the big fight between her and Camille that ended with Helga moving into the boarding house. The whole time Arnold was speaking, Olga's face was in shock.

"It's been pretty bad and I don't know everything about the situation between you all but –"

Arnold was cut off as Olga burst into tears.

"I'm such a horrible sister! My widdle baby sister… I just… I can't believe it!" Olga sobbed dramatically. "I should've… I should've…" Olga's words became incoherent as she continued to cry, burying her face into the arm of her chair.

Gerald looked at Arnold wide-eyed as Arnold tried to calm Olga down.

"Olga… Olga!"

Olga looked up at Arnold. With her attention, he continued.

"It's not too late. I know my family and I are totally willing to help her. My grandma said she could stay at our house as long as she likes. But I thought it might be nice for you and your mom to reconnect with her. I think Helga needs something permanent… she really needs security right now,"

Olga sniffled as she regained her composure. "I have to talk to Mummy. I know she misses Helga but it's complicated, Arnold. I would have Helga move in right away!" Olga paused. "But her and Mummy have some unresolved conflicts."

Seeing Arnold's face fall, Olga added, "But maybe everything can be worked out now. I'll let you know,"

Arnold smiled and thanked Olga for talking to them. He left his phone number and address with her and got on another bus with Gerald, headed home.

. . . . . . . .

A few uneventful days passed until Helga and Arnold walked in the door after school on Friday afternoon.

Apparently the phone had been ringing because Grandma called out to Helga, "Eleanor dear, the phone's for you!"

Helga picked up the phone in the hallway and Arnold stood by waiting for her. The way her facial expression changed made him freeze. _Oh no…_

Helga turned and glared at him, still listening to the person on the phone.

"Right… Well listen, the damage is already done. And after all this time, I'm not really interested in talking to you out of the blue like this. Why don't you act like a real mom before you try to get all involved with my life," Helga hung up the phone and turned to Arnold. "Did you _talk_ to them?" Helga walked toward Arnold slowly.

Arnold gulped but didn't answer.

"_Why_ would you _do_ that, Football-head? How stupid can you get? Criminy, you just can't leave some things alone, can you?" Helga threw up her hands.

Arnold took a breath. "I'm sorry, Helga. I was just trying to help… I figured you need as much support as you can get right now and I thought maybe your sister and your mom might want you back in their lives, too."

"But that doesn't mean_ I _want that, Arnoldo. The way I see it, Miriam abandoned me and Olga is clueless. If they wanted me in their lives, I'm pretty sure I would've heard from them before now. Guilting them into approaching me isn't –"

"I didn't guilt anyone, Helga. I mean, I told them what's happened lately but they're your family. They should know what's happening with you. How are they supposed to know you need help if they don't know anything's wrong?" Helga and Arnold were inches away from each other now, eyes locked on one another.

"I don't need anyone's help, Arnold. Not even yours. I don't know why you can't get that through your thick skull. Why do you have to intervene all the time? Why do you have to keep getting involved with my life?" Helga crossed her arms and stared him down.

Arnold's heart was racing as he looked into her eyes. Furious as she may be, he couldn't help but think about how amazing she looked. It was tearing him up, that fact that he couldn't just hold her in his arms, or take her hand in his… or kiss her. It was inappropriate timing but he found himself daydreaming about pulling her into his arms and never letting go.

"Answer me, Football-head!"

"I'm sorry Helga, I just sort of… I feel like I… It's hard to explain but for a while now I've been feeling…"


	12. The Set Back

**[A/N: Sorry this chapter's on the shorter side but there's only a few chapters left before we reach the end! I can't wait. :) Hope you all like this chapter. Let me know what you think! ]**

"Oh, spit it _out_ already, Hairboy!" Helga was growing impatient.

The last syllable had barely left her lips before Arnold's own lips brushed hers. It was quick but soft, and he pulled away just as fast, blushing furiously.

Helga's eyes were wide with surprise, her mouth slightly agape. She didn't make a sound as Arnold sheepishly rubbed his neck, looking as uncomfortable as he possibly could.

"I… um…"

Snapping out of her lovesick shock, she shook her head and a scowl returned to her face.

"What was _that_ for, exactly?"

Now it was Arnold's turn to be surprised. "Are you kidding me?"

"You think that kissing me is gonna get you off the hook like _that_?" Helga snapped her fingers. "How gullible do you think I am?"

"Helga I never –"

"Save it." Helga turned on her heel and went upstairs as Arnold stood in the foyer, more confused now than ever.

. . . . . . . .

Upstairs in her room, Helga was laying on her bed, angrily punching the mattress as she scolded herself.

"Why, why, why! _Why_ did I push him away like that? Holy _crap_, he _kissed_ me!" Helga's heart skipped a beat as she rolled over, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"But _why_ did he kiss me?" Helga's voice was calmer now, more contemplative. "He said we're just friends… and then he kisses me… but he kissed me when I was chewing his head off so that probably means he was just trying to take advantage of my feelings for him to get out of a bad situation, right? But that doesn't sound like Arnold… ugh! Criminy!" Helga wrapped both arms around the pillow, burying her face into it as she let out a muffled, though still very frustrated and loud yell.

. . . . . . . .

_I can't believe I did that. _Arnold thought to himself as he sat on his bed, going over the event in his mind. _I can't believe _she_ did that. I thought she liked me… I guess it was bad timing but still… I finally told her how I felt so that should count for something… even if I wasn't actually s_aying _anything. This girl is so confusing!_

Arnold lay back on his bed with his arms behind his head. He watched the clouds pass by as he tried to figure out what to do next.

. . . . . . . .

Later that night, Arnold was walking past Helga's room when he saw through the open door that she had her suitcase open on the bed.

Cautiously stepping inside, he asked, "Hey… what are you doing?"

Helga didn't look up as she placed a small pile of clothes into the suitcase. "Packing,"

Arnold felt a surge of adrenaline rush through him as the idea of losing her crossed his mind. "But, why? Helga, I'm really sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have –"

"So, that _is_ how you feel? Like it was a mistake?"

"Helga, no I –"

Helga waved a hand in front of him and sighed. "Don't worry about it. But look, this weird… thing… going on between us?" Helga gestured back and forth between herself and Arnold. "I just can't deal with that right now," Helga looked away from him. "You can't deny it's been incredibly awkward having me live here and we both know why. I'm gonna go stay with Phoebe. Her parents already said it would be okay so I'm gonna head over there tonight,"

Helga closed her suitcase. Looking around her room, Arnold could see she'd packed up pretty much everything she'd been able to bring to the boarding house. Even her bedspread was in a kitchen trash bag by the door.

"Helga, I don't want you to –"

"I really appreciate what you and your family have done for me… honestly, I do," Helga rubbed her neck uncomfortably. "But I just need to go stay somewhere right now, for my own sanity and for yours. Knowing that you know how I feel and knowing how _you_ actually feel is making it too awkward to stay here, okay? We can be friends, like you said, but I just… I just can't be around you right now okay, Football-head?"

Arnold opened his mouth to speak but Helga was out the door before he could make a sound. He closed his mouth and sat on what was once Helga's bed.

"Ugh!" He let out a yell, a combination of frustration and sadness, as he put his head in his hands.

_If I could just get her to listen to me…_

. . . . . . . .

"Man, you got it bad…"

Arnold had just finished telling Gerald about his failed attempt to confess to Helga.

Without waiting for Arnold to respond to his comment, Gerald continued, "… and I _told_ you she was gonna find out about you talking to Olga!"

They were sitting together at the lunch table Monday afternoon. Even though he was talking to Gerald, Arnold's attention was elsewhere. He was staring at Helga who was sitting with Phoebe, as usual, on the other side of the lunchroom.

"Arnold… Arnold! Snap _out of it_, man!" Gerald waved a hand in front of Arnold's face.

"I can't help it, Gerald. I just really like her… what do I do?"

"Did you try talking to her?"

"Yeah and she won't let me get a word in edgewise. She insists I just kissed her to try and distract her, or something… And she won't drop that whole "friend" comment," Arnold crossed his arms on the table.

"Well, you did kind of mess that one up,"

"I know, I know… But if I could just get her to _listen_ to me, I think I can tell her how I feel. I just need a minute alone with her, but every time I try, she goes out of her way to avoid me now."

"You leave that to me, Arnold. In the meantime, get your thoughts straight. I don't wanna see you mess this one up, _again_," Gerald patted his friend on the back.

"Thanks, Gerald,"

. . . . . . . .

Living with Phoebe wasn't so bad but Helga felt less at home there than she had at the boarding house. Phoebe's parents were great. They made the effort to communicate with her and provided her with everything she could possibly need: delicious home-cooked meals, a comfortable bed in their guest bedroom, and almost anything else she wanted. But there was still something missing.

Monday evening while Phoebe was practicing her fencing, Helga locked herself in the guest bedroom and pulled out her little pink journal.

_I want to forget the way we touched;  
our lips dancing in a fateful waltz,  
my heart, a scorned casualty._

_Drag these memories out by their heels,  
their fight will be my demise.  
Memories of our hearts beating simultaneously;  
a tribal drum causing the land,  
stretched far and wide, to vibrate fiercely._

_I open windows and doors,  
anything to let them escape.  
The same way they came in; through me.  
I opened my arms, my mind, my heart,  
in vain, mind you, but never heeding to conscience.  
And every time you're near  
I feel the doors and windows open.  
Furious gusts of cold air chill my veins  
and I can't breathe.  
My heart yearns for your love,  
if only because that is what has  
always warmed it._

. . . . . . . .

Phoebe went looking for Helga after she had finished fencing and taken a shower. She found her asleep in her room with a little pink notebook clutched to her chest.

She knew that Arnold and Helga were meant for each other but couldn't understand why they were having so much trouble getting there. However, Helga could be pretty stubborn when she wanted to be. And if she got the wrong idea into her head about Arnold's feelings or intentions, it would take some work to get her to realize her mistake.

Helga hadn't said a word to Arnold all weekend. Even in class when they got their grades back for the research project, Helga was still avoiding Arnold as much as she could.

"We got an A!" Arnold whispered as he handed their packet up to Helga.

"Cool," she'd responded without even looking at him.

Phoebe could tell Helga was depressed over the whole debacle. There had to be something she could do to help her friend.

Phoebe still hadn't left Helga's room and watched as Helga snored loudly, rolling over onto her side and smacking her lips. The pink journal was still held tightly in her arms.

_I'll figure something out._

Phoebe turned Helga's light off and left the room.

. . . . . . . .

Later that night, Phoebe's house phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Phoebe, it's Gerald,"

Phoebe smiled sweetly, "Oh, hi Gerald. What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Helga,"

Phoebe's eyebrows shot up, "What about Helga?"

"Well, her and Arnold, really," Gerald paused. "Before I ask, lemme make sure we're on the same page here. Arnold is really into Helga, and she apparently loves him too, right?"

"That is correct, Gerald," Phoebe liked where this was going.

"Alright, well. I need to get this man to stop moping all around the city because he is seriously _sprung_ over this girl. He's driving me nuts! So here's what I'm thinkin,"

Gerald described the details of his plan to get Arnold and Helga together. As he spoke, Phoebe nodded into the phone, agreeing with each point.

"That's a brilliant idea, Gerald! I think it may actually work!"

Phoebe's gleeful response made Gerald smile. "Cool. We have plenty of time to work out the minor details but I think we'll be good,"

"Indeed,"

"Hey Phoebe," Gerald's tone of voice changed to something sweeter.

"Yes, Gerald?"

"I'll see _you_ later,"

The way he said it gave Phoebe goose bumps. She let out a bashful giggle. "Why, yes you will,"

Smiling, the two of them said goodbye and hung up.


	13. Attraction

**[A/N: Only one or two more chapters left! This chapter is pretty long but I hope it isn't ****_painfully_**** long. Enjoy! ]**

The end of the fall semester was quickly approaching as the students had just returned to school following Thanksgiving break. Helga was still living at Phoebe's house. She hadn't spoken to Big Bob, Cathy or the girls since their last visit. In the halls at school, Helga did her best to hide whenever she saw Alexis coming her way. The last thing she needed was a blow-up in front of _everyone_.

As far as Miriam and Olga went, after Helga moved out of Arnold's house, she never heard from them again. Of course, there was no way for her to know if they'd been trying to reach her at the boarding house since she still hadn't spoken on a _personal_ level with Arnold. Even though a part of her was still furious at her mother and sister, another part of her hoped every day that they might try to reach her again. She chastised herself, clutching her anger close whenever those types of hopes found their way into her mind.

Meanwhile, Arnold was still at a lost as to what he should do. It had been weeks since Helga moved out and he struggled to summon the courage to be unabashedly honest with her about his feelings. They had progressed enough in their awkward relationship to once again behave the way they did before the first episode with Cathy, before the walls around Helga's heart started to crumble. Unfortunately, now Helga's walls seemed to be as fortified as they'd ever been, if not more.

"Outta my way, Football-head. You're crowdin' me!" Helga pushed past Arnold as she made her way to her desk on the first day back.

Arnold watched as Helga swept past him and plopped herself into her seat. He turned his attention back to Gerald. They had a few minutes before the bell was supposed to ring so Arnold had walked up to Gerald's desk to chat.

"You okay, man?" Gerald asked his friend, noticing the sullen look on Arnold's face.

Shaking his head, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm gonna go back to my seat," Arnold walked away.

Gerald felt bad for his best friend, how could he not? But in order to implement his idea, they needed to wait until the perfect moment. Phoebe had his back on this one and she was going to make sure nothing failed on Helga's end.

_If those two can just keep themselves from messin' anything else up… just a little longer…_

It wasn't that Arnold and Helga hated each other now. Far from it, in fact. Arnold was still feeling torn up inside over his feelings for her and especially now that he wasn't communicating with her regularly, he worried about what could be going on with her and her family. Had she gotten back in contact with Miriam and Olga? Had Bob or Cathy tried to bring her back home? Had there been any more fights? So many unanswered questions that he could ponder but he wouldn't dare think about any of them too long for fear his anger would overtake him.

As far as he knew, she was still living with Phoebe by the looks of it. Her bruises had cleared up and he hadn't seen any new ones. Other than that, he didn't really know what was going on in that head of hers. He could look into her eyes for the entire class period and still never know how she was feeling. As hard as he had worked to get her to finally open up to him and trust him, he was now back at zero.

All he wanted was for her to let him back in. It felt wrong to be so distanced from her. _How did I deal with this before?_ Once he'd gotten close to Helga, he'd realized that's where he wanted to stay. Unfortunately, he wondered with a heavy heart if Helga had finally gotten sick of waiting for an answer from him. Maybe after all of this time, she'd finally moved on and he was too late.

Unbeknownst to him, Helga was just as torn up as he was, if not more.

Sure, they were back to the status quo as far as their public relationship was concerned but Helga couldn't undo the things that happened between them or the things that were said in private. He knew more about her than almost anyone else in her life, yet he was so far away from her now.

She still loved him, how could she not? But she was at a loss. The pain of an unrequited love had always left a deep ache in her heart and it had been that way for eleven years. How long was she going to wait before enough was enough? So she treated Arnold the same way she always had, with insults and shoving and name-calling… And though she hoped that she could trick herself into disliking him through her taunting and teasing, it only reminded her more of every day that she spent yearning for his love.

. . . . . . .

Gerald managed to catch Phoebe at her locker between first and second period the following day.

"Hey," Gerald approached her, a concerned look on his face.

"Hi Gerald, is everything alright?"

Gerald looked around. "Can we go somewhere and talk?"

Phoebe did her best to keep from blushing. _This isn't necessarily about you and Gerald. Calm down! _

"Um sure," Phoebe smiled before she glanced at the clock on the wall. "Actually, could it wait until after school? We don't have much time; the bell is going to ring any moment!"

Gerald sighed, "Okay. I'll call you after school,"

The two smiled at each other before Gerald turned around to leave, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with an open locker.

Phoebe giggled as Gerald grinned sheepishly and walked away.

. . . . . . . .

When Gerald called later that afternoon, Phoebe held her hand over the mouthpiece, checking to make sure Helga wasn't in earshot. The yells and grunts associated with Wrestlemania could be heard from the living room TV, indicating Helga's whereabouts. Once Phoebe was sure she wouldn't be heard, she spoke.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Gerald?"

Gerald sighed, finally able to release his pent-up thoughts. "Man, we need to get these two together _soon_," He thought about how mopey Arnold had been in recent weeks, "How are things on your end with Helga?"

A loud slam and a crowd cheering. Phoebe glanced in the direction of the noise. "She's back to her old self. I'm pretty sure she's still struggling with her own emotions, though. She's tried to convince me she's sick of Arnold but I can tell she's fighting an internal battle with her own insecurities and doubts about his feelings for her."

"Do you think you can get her to listen to you?"

"I'm certainly going to try," Phoebe considered for a minute. "She didn't go to Homecoming so this would be her first high school dance. Helga isn't really one to get excited over events such as these but I'm hoping she won't put up too much of a fight. She's come with us to countless parties and dances before so an invitation to the Winter Dance shouldn't be too suspicious, I would think,"

"Okay good," Gerald hoped Phoebe was right. "I'm probably going to let Arnold in on the details of the plan just so we don't have to worry about him not showing up for some dumb reason. I know he wants to make things right with her so now all we need to do is get Helga to give him the chance."

"That sounds reasonable," Phoebe nodded, switching the phone to her other ear as an awkward pause fell over the conversation.

Gerald spoke up, "So, Phoebe," Another pause. "Do you… ya know, have a date for the dance already?"

Phoebe's face turned bright red as she grinned cheek to cheek. "Actually Gerald, no I don't," she replied sweetly.

"Well, do you wanna go with me?"

Phoebe smiled. "Of course," she breathed. "I would be delighted,"

She stifled her excited giggles until they hung up.

. . . . . . . .

The Winter Dance was scheduled for the Saturday before Christmas break. It hadn't taken a lot of work on Phoebe's part to convince Helga to go. The thing that _had _received some resistance was Phoebe's insistence that Helga consider Rhonda's advice in dressing up for the evening.

"Here," Rhonda had said as she shoved a pile of magazines into Helga's arms. "You're gonna need as much help as you can get. The last time you tried to dress up like a girl, you looked like a hooker, no offense."

Helga glared at Rhonda as she straightened the magazines up in her arms and put a hand on her hip.

"So what do you want me to do, _Rhondaloid_?"

"It's quite simple, really," Rhonda said as she pulled a magazine from Helga's grasp, pointing to various pictures in it and explaining each idea.

After a few minutes of this, Helga looked to Phoebe, plaintively, but Phoebe was just nodding in approval.

Helga let out a breath and snatched the magazine back from Rhonda.

"Alright, alright," she huffed. "I'll take the stupid magazines. Now get off my back, would ya?" Helga scowled as Rhonda walked away, muttering something along the lines of "Why did I agree to help her? She's pathetic."

Helga turned back to Phoebe. "Are you happy now?"

Phoebe couldn't help but grin, "Yes Helga," _This is going to be so perfect!_

Now it was finally the night of the dance and Helga and Phoebe were getting ready. As far as Helga knew, she was just going to the dance with Phoebe, her best friend. She didn't have a date and wasn't expecting one either.

She didn't know that after Phoebe's mom dropped them off at the school, they were going to meet up with Arnold and Gerald. She also didn't know that Gerald was technically Phoebe's date and there would be an unspoken push for her and Arnold to spend their time together. She wasn't avoiding Arnold the way she had been a few weeks ago but Phoebe worried about the possibility of Helga refusing to go along with everything.

The girls were almost finished getting ready. Phoebe had offered to help Helga apply her make-up and was putting the finishing touches on her eyeshadow when her mom called up the stairs, telling them to hurry up. _Show time_.

Helga and Phoebe emerged from the bathroom looking more gorgeous than either of them realized. Phoebe's light blue dress sparkled, its hem hitting just below her knee. She had half of her hair pulled back low on her head, with loose curls bouncing on her shoulders. Her eye make-up, also light blue, made her eyes pop behind her glasses.

Helga had plucked her unibrow for the occasion and that, along with the subtle pink eyeshadow and mascara Phoebe had used, made her deep blue eyes stand out more than anything. Helga's halter dress was her favorite shade of pink, with silver sequins. She'd found a pair of strappy silver heels that she could actually walk in and considered them surprisingly comfortable. Helga's hair had taken a lot of work on Phoebe's part but she was pretty proud of herself for it. The thick blonde locks were curled and swept over to the side, bunching up at the side of the base of Helga's head. Most of the curls dangled across her right shoulder while a few small pieces of baby hair around her ear and temple had been curled and left to frame her face.

"Alright, let's get this party started," Helga smirked as she and Phoebe headed out the door.

. . . . . . .

"Are you sure this is going to work, Gerald?"

Arnold and Gerald were sitting on the front steps of the school waiting for Phoebe and Helga. Arnold was tugging nervously at his collar. Both boys wore black dress pants with freshly pressed button-up dress shirts, Gerald in blue and Arnold in white.

"Just relax, Arnold. Be _cool," _Gerald said smoothly.

"I can't help it. What if she sees me and turns around?" Arnold fidgeted with the clear plastic box holding Helga's corsage.

"You'll be _fine_, Arnold. I've got your back, buddy. Now straighten up, that's them,"

Gerald stood up, followed by Arnold, as Phoebe's mother's car pulled up outside the school.

The girls stepped out and both Arnold's and Gerald's jaws dropped.

"Whoa…" they both said under their breath simultaneously.

Once out of the car, Helga caught sight of Arnold and shot Phoebe a harsh look.

"_What_ is going _on,_ Phoebe?" she gritted through her teeth.

Phoebe just smiled at her and walked up to the boys.

"Hi Gerald," Phoebe said sweetly. She gasped, noticing something in Gerald's hand. She graciously put her arm out to receive the blue corsage. "It's beautiful! What a surprise, Gerald. Thank you!"

"No problem, babe,"

Helga had her arms crossed and was facing the other direction when Arnold approached her.

"Hey Helga," he greeted her softly.

"Hey Football –" Helga turned to see Arnold pulling out a clear container holding a pink corsage.

He smiled sheepishly at her and looked down, "I got this for you,"

Helga's eyes were wide with surprise. She paused for a minute, eyeing him suspiciously. When the sweet look on his face never changed, she cautiously put her own wrist out for Arnold.

He took her hand, gingerly slipping the corsage onto her delicate wrist. He was still holding her hand when he dared to look back into Helga's eyes. They were still watching his every move and hardly blinking.

Arnold tried to fight back a blush as he retracted his hand, his heart doing leaps over the brief contact.

. . . . . . . .

The evening was going surprisingly well. Much to the relief of Gerald and Phoebe, Helga wasn't rejecting Arnold's attempts at friendly conversation. She had been giving him skeptical looks all night but so far, it looked as though Arnold hadn't flubbed. But he still had to wait until the right moment. He'd rushed to express his feelings before, in the heat of the moment. This time, the moment had to be perfect.

About an hour into the dance, Phoebe and Gerald were dancing to a remix of some pop song while Arnold and Helga were sitting at a table talking and drinking punch. They looked a little awkward yet relaxed at the same time.

"You think now is a good time?" Gerald asked.

Phoebe looked at their friends, then back at Gerald. "As good a time as any,"

Gerald walked over to Helga and Arnold while Phoebe made her way to the DJ's table where Sheena and Brainy were manning the controls. Phoebe whispered something into Sheena's ear, to which she smiled and nodded.

"How are you guys doin'?" Gerald asked.

Helga and Arnold looked at each other.

"We're fine, Geraldo. How are _you_?" Helga mocked.

"Oh, I'm good Helga," he smirked. "I'm good."

Phoebe returned to her friends and took a seat at the table with them.

"Are either of you going to dance tonight? I haven't seen you leave this table," Phoebe questioned innocently.

"Yeah, I guess you've been caught up in conversation, huh?" Gerald probed.

Helga gave them both a half-hearted glare before she noticed the song that had started playing.

_You've gotta be _kidding_ me… _she thought as she rolled her eyes.

Arnold noticed the song, too. He'd been waiting for it. Over the speakers had come the familiar sound of the song they danced to on April Fool's Day in fourth grade.

_It's time to…. TANGO! _Mr. Simmons had said.

Arnold stepped out of his seat, took a breath and held out a hand for Helga.

Helga had her arms crossed but when she looked at him, asking to dance with her, she felt her heart melting all over again. _Don't do it, don't do it! _

Arnold cleared his throat. "Would you, um… like to dance?"

Helga looked at Phoebe and Gerald who had been grinning at her but quickly turned their heads when she looked at them, pretending they weren't paying attention.

Helga sighed, succumbing to the tempting offer but still doing her best to hold back.

"Alright, alright, Football-head. Just don't throw me around this time, got it?"

Arnold grinned, feeling a bit more confident. "Don't worry Helga," he locked eyes with her. "I'll be gentle with you,"


	14. The Right Moment

**[A/N: The next chapter will probably be the last one! I hope you enjoy this chapter, though. I have loved writing this story and I'm so amazed that people really seemed to like it as well! :) ]**

As Arnold and Helga made their way to the dance floor, Arnold breathed deeply, trying to quell the nervousness that had settled in his stomach. This was his chance to be close to her.

Helga's heart was racing as Arnold led her to a clear spot in the middle of the crowd. She was trying as hard as she could to maintain her cynical attitude but with every sweet or flirty gesture Arnold made, she felt like her skin was turning to putty. _Snap out of it, Helga. _

Helga looked around, "There aren't any pools hidden around here that you plan on _throwing_ me into this time, Football-head?" Her tone was sarcastic.

Arnold chuckled, pulling her close to him, their eyes only inches apart. "No Helga," he smiled as he spun her out, pulling her back in just as swiftly.

. . . . . . . .

"How do you think it's going?" Phoebe asked Gerald as they sat at the table watching their friends dance.

"It looks like they're talking. I just don't know if Arnold's gonna have the chance to say what he needs to say if he keeps spinning and dipping her like that," Gerald speculated.

"Oh don't worry, he'll have his chance after this song's over," Phoebe smiled mischievously to herself.

Gerald's eyebrows raised, "What are you talking about?"

Phoebe whispered into his ear.

"Oh man, Arnold doesn't know about _that_!"

"I know. Let's just hope they go for it," Phoebe turned her eyes back to the dance floor.

"I hope this works," Gerald followed Phoebe's gaze.

. . . . . . . .

Arnold and Helga's chemistry was just as intense as it had been the last time they'd danced to this song. However, this time their movements were more passionate than aggressive, more fluid than controlled and rough.

Helga felt her knees weakening every time Arnold pulled her close, close enough that their foreheads brushed against each other and the only thing she could see were his twinkling green eyes.

With every move, Arnold felt more and more confident that Helga would finally give in and let her walls back down. He smiled at her and stifled a chuckle as he watched her face switch back and forth between adoration and terror.

"Helga, we haven't really had the chance to talk in a while," Arnold dipped her and pulled her back up to face him. "But there's something I've really needed to get off my chest."

Helga gulped as she concentrated on keeping up with his motions, "Um… yeah?"

"Well, I don't know exactly how to say it but…" Arnold stopped, realizing the song had ended. Looking around he felt slightly panicked. _I didn't say it yet! Crap, I waited too long. _

Helga had pulled away but watched him expectantly. _Arghh why am I letting myself do this? I can't help but turn to jelly when he looks at me like that but this is _torture_!_

Before another moment of awkwardness could set in, another song started playing from the DJ's speakers. This one was gentler, softer, sweeter.

"Do you… wanna keep dancing?" Arnold asked nervously, praying she'd say yes so maybe he'd have another chance.

Helga took a breath and a step toward him, despite herself. "Okay,"

Arnold quietly breathed a sigh of relief as he gently placed his hands at her waist. Her arms found their way around his neck. Helga avoided his eyes as she held her body almost rigid, so petrified by this sudden and surprisingly comfortable closeness. They swayed to the beat of the music, awkwardly at first but they quickly relaxed.

_Face to face and heart to heart,  
We're so close yet so far apart.  
I close my eyes I look away,  
That's just because I'm not okay.  
But I hold on, I stay strong,  
Wondering if we still belong._

Helga took a breath, feeling bold. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

She wasn't sure if she wanted the answer or not but she blurted out the question, still looking past him. Her heartbeat was racing so fast she hoped he couldn't feel it pulsing through her body.

_Will we ever say the words we're feeling,  
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls.  
Will we ever have our happy ending?  
Or will we forever only be pretending?  
Will we always, always, always be pretending._

Now it was Arnold's turn to have his breath caught in his throat. He took a deep breath, trying to summon the courage to say what had been in his heart, driving him mad the past few weeks.

_How long do I fantasize,  
Make believe that it's still alive.  
Imagine that I am good enough  
And we can choose the ones we love.  
But I hold on, I stay strong,  
Wondering if we still belong._

"Well I," Arnold cleared his throat. "I mean, it's been a long time since we've really talked," Arnold began. _That was the dumbest opening line ever, ughh!_

As the music continued, the two found themselves gradually creeping closer and closer. The air around them was thick with anticipation. Helga was losing herself in the moment, allowing herself to get closer to Arnold as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, Arnold's arms holding her like he'd found buried treasure.

"Yeah," Helga said quietly. "I know."

She tried to ignore the way that every hair on her body felt on end and the way the smell of his shampoo made her want to swoon.

_Keeping secrets safe,  
Every move we make,  
Seems like no one's letting go.  
And it's such a shame,  
Cause if you feel the same  
How am I supposed to know?_

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now…" Arnold started again. "… and I tried to before but it didn't work out so well…"

Helga finally turned and looked up at him, causing Arnold to completely lose track of his thoughts. He got lost in her eyes, expectant, pleading, terrified, hopeful. He gulped and pulled her close again as the song was ending.

_Will we ever say the words we're feeling,  
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls?  
Will we ever have our happy ending?  
Or will we forever only be pretending?  
Will we always, always, always be pretending?_

As the song's last note left the speakers, Arnold and Helga slowly pulled away from each other. His hands found their way to her shoulders as hers rested on his arms. He gently lifted a hand to her cheek.

Helga was dizzy, her mind spinning as she looked into his eyes. It felt too good to be true. _I need to get out of here._

"Helga, I—"

"I, umm… I need some air…" Helga abruptly left Arnold's embrace and hurried out of the gymnasium doors.

Arnold looked back at Gerald and Phoebe, his face stricken with disappointment and his head hung low.

Phoebe motioned for Arnold to follow Helga and he looked in the direction he'd watched her go. A newfound determination in his eyes, he quickly traced her path.

Arnold found her outside the front steps of the school, leaning over the railing with her back to the doors.

"Helga?" he slowly approached her.

She sniffled, never turning around. "What?" she snapped.

Arnold hesitated for a moment before putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Helga, listen to me," He took a breath. "I've been trying to tell you this for so long now and I haven't really known how to say it but I…" He let the air out of his lungs. "I really like you," His voice was a whisper.

Helga's eyes widened for a second but she pushed the hope out of her mind. "Yeah, I know. We're friends, doi! We talked about this _before, _Arnoldo," She still couldn't bear to face him.

"But that's not really it. I know it came out that way back at my house when we talked, but that's not how I actually feel," Arnold paused "I don't know when it started exactly. And I can't explain it really but… I like you a lot… as _more_ than a friend,"

Helga finally turned around. "You're joking, right? And if you are I swear I'll -" She scowled, gritting her teeth.

Arnold put his hands on her tensed arms. "I'm not,"

"But," Helga looked away again, her faced softening. "Why? Why now? Why _me_?" Her face twitched as she struggled to keep up her poker face.

"Why _not_ you? Helga, you really are amazing. You're beautiful and smart and funny and caring. I've always known that deep down you weren't the person you portrayed. All of the times you've gone out of your way or put yourself on the line to help me were evidence of that. It all kind of snuck up on me but you have no _idea_ how much it hurt _me_ seeing you in pain before… you know, when we were dealing with your stepfamily…"

If Helga thought her heart was beating fast before, now she felt like she was going to pass out from an arrhythmia. All she could do was watch Arnold's face as he put his own heart out on the table for her.

_Can this really be happening? _

Helga's breath was shallow as she and everything in her world seemed to be slowing down.

"… I just wanted to protect you. I wanted to make sure you were okay, but not like I would with Gerald or Phoebe or Sid or Rhonda… _They_ are my friends. _You_…" Arnold paused. "… you're something more. And I'm sorry I confused you so much but I was confused myself. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about your confession up at FTi—"

"Oh, not that…" Helga groaned, her face turning bright red.

"It was a shock… and kind of scared me at first… but it really made me think, Helga. Even before the semester started, I've thought about it. I just didn't really let myself think _too_ hard until recently…"

Arnold was quiet. He'd done a lot of talking and was dying to know Helga's reaction. So far she'd just been standing there, dumbstruck and staring at him blankly.

She blinked, finally able to respond after letting his words soak in. "So, what does this mean?"

**[A/N: The song in this chapter is "Pretending" from Glee by Lea Michele and Cory Monteith. It's actually what inspired me to write this story in the first place so I HIGHLY recommend listening to it on Youtube. I was imagining the song playing in my head as I wrote that scene. Tell me what you think! ]**


	15. Conclusion

**[A/N: I stayed up til 3 am writing this because I was inspired! I hope you like this final chapter!]**

Arnold smiled, his eyes half-lidded. Another step toward Helga and he tenderly put an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. The other arm found its way up to gently cradle her head with his hand.

"This means…" and he leaned down, softly kissing her on the lips. It was sweet and loving and everything Helga was hoping for. She kissed him back, feeling giddy and excited and overwhelmed all at the same time. Her eyes had been watering and that kiss served as the perfect release for all of the bottled up emotions she'd been holding in up until that point.

A single tear slid down her face as Arnold pulled back. She wiped it away, smiling up at him.

"This _means_ you mean more to me than I ever realized. This means I want to be with you, Helga," he took her hand and held it to his chest. "This means I've been falling for you and I've been too afraid to say it up until now. And I just really, really hope you feel the same way."

Helga felt like she could burst, only this time it felt good. "Arnold, you have _no_ idea."

She felt like crying, screaming, jumping, and running, all at the same time as Arnold pulled her into a hug.

Resting his head on her shoulder, he felt like he'd finally figured out where he was meant to be. She'd been around all his life but never before had he realized how important she was to him or how much he cared about her. He never could have predicted years ago that he'd end up with Helga G. Pataki. Looking for love in all the wrong places, he'd overlooked the one who fit him best and she'd been standing there in front of him all along.

. . . . . . . .

The next day, Helga had shown up at Arnold's house. They were in his bedroom, not sure how they should behave with one another after the magic and romance of the previous night had worn off.

Helga was sitting next to Arnold on his bed, his arm around her as they talked.

"I wanna show you something," Helga said as she pulled a worn and folded envelope from her pocket. "It came in the mail a few days ago but I've been afraid to open it."

Arnold took the letter from her hands. It had a sticker on the front indicating it'd been addressed to the boarding house but the post office forwarded it to Phoebe's house. The return address said 'Pataki. 806 Broadway St.'

"I think you should open it, Helga," Arnold handed the envelope back to her.

Helga sighed, giving him a look that feigned annoyance. She hesitantly opened the letter and began to read as Arnold waited patiently, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder and read as well.

After she finished reading, she sighed and scooted back on the bed. Pulling her legs into a cross-legged position and leaning against a shelf, she wordlessly handed the open letter to Arnold. He looked at Helga as she gazed up through his window thoughtfully. Turning back to the letter, he began to read.

_Dear Helga,_

_I understand you're angry with me and I understand if you don't want to talk to me. I can't begin to tell you the regret I've been dealing with ever since I left your father. Words can't express how hard it was to leave you there, or how guilty I feel for being so absent most of your life. You deserved so much better, sweetie, and you still do._

_It broke my heart to hear how things have been for you at home. When I left you with your dad I never thought he'd get worse than he already was. And I never expected anyone to come into your life that would hurt you. The shock and anger that I've felt since Olga told me about everything has been tearing me up inside. _

_I've wanted to contact you for a while but ever since our phone call I was hesitant. I understand it if you don't trust me. I'm going to have to earn your trust back. There's a lot we need to talk about and get off of our chests but I'm hoping we can have a fresh start. I really do love you, hunny. I want to make things better between us. That's why I plan to move back to Hillwood, to be closer to you again._

_I want you to know that I spoke to a lawyer and I'm going to try and fight your father for full custody. I think that considering everything that's happened, I'd have a good case, despite my own past. I've changed a lot and I want you to have a better life. I'm just so sorry it took me this long to be the mother to you that you've always deserved. I love you with all of my heart and when you're ready to talk, I'll be waiting._

_Love,_

_Mom_

Arnold folded the letter back up as he exhaled deeply.

"So what do you think?" he asked, turning back to Helga.

"I dunno, I mean… I guess I could talk to her," Helga shifted her gaze from the clouds to Arnold. "It had to have taken a lot of guts to send me that, ya know?"

"Definitely," Arnold scooted toward her. "I'm proud of you, Helga."

Helga raised an eyebrow. "For _what_?"

"For finally acting like the person you really are deep down. No need to hide or pretend you're something you're not. You really deserve the best," Arnold smiled and scooted even closer until he was sitting right beside her.

Helga laughed him off, feeling shy all of a sudden.

"You do! And you don't even realize it," Arnold leaned in front of her so their eyes met. "You have no idea how amazing you actually are, do you? You never deserved all of the bad stuff that happened to you. I don't know how you ended up in that kind of situation but the fact that you've come through it as you are, still a good person at the core… _that_ shows who you really are," Arnold settled back against the shelf with her and leaned his head on her shoulder.

Helga felt like butterflies were flying rampant in her stomach. "You're too good to be true," she laughed.

"Why?"

"Because," Helga paused before giving her explanation. "My whole life I've felt unimportant and ignored and lonely… except when it came to you. I told you before, Arnold, I think you were the first person who ever really noticed me… I've always felt like I was invisible to everyone that I cared about…" Helga's tone was somber. "…I've always felt alone."

Arnold sat up, facing Helga as he gently took her face in his hands, meeting her eyes with his. Her eyes searching his with so many questions and more depth than he'd ever imagined could come from one person.

"Helga, you're not alone." He leaned in and kissed her forehead, just as he had on the fateful night that she fell apart in his arms.

Helga's heart was pounding in her chest, slowly, deeply. She exhaled.

_This is just… perfect._ She smiled.

"Oh wait," Arnold got up and went over to his desk. Fumbling through a drawer he pulled out a folded up piece of paper. "It's really cheesy… and I mean _really_ cheesy… but this was going to be my last resort if I couldn't get you to talk to me at the dance."

He handed the piece of paper to her as she looked at him suspiciously. Brimming with curiosity, she unfolded the sheet and a grin spread across her face.

He'd drawn a picture of the diagram they'd made for their project. The heart and every chamber, valve, and vessel was sketched with care. He'd even included each label she had dictated to him the day they worked together. There was one label, however, that she hadn't included and that's what made her heart do a little flip. In the center of the heart drawing, between the left and right atria, was a circle. An arrow pointing to the circle had a notation by it. "YOU. ARE. HERE."

. . . . . . . .

That night as Helga was getting ready for bed, she pulled out her little pink journal.

It was amazing how things had changed. After everything that'd happened recently, she tentatively hoped things with her mother would work out, now that they both seemed willing and interested in making amends. She hadn't had to deal with Big Bob or Cathy or Alexis or Camille for quite some time and was thankful that she wouldn't have to see them anymore.

And for as long as she'd pined for Arnold's affections, the reality of his feelings still felt surreal. She'd spent so much time wishing that she wasn't sure what to do now that that wish had finally, surprisingly, come true. All she could do was smile, and it felt good. It felt good to not frown and scowl and hold anger, fear, and resentment in her heart. For once, she could finally learn to let herself be happy.

She left a poem in her journal that night before she lay down to sleep, content.

_Oh heart, be still,  
you are a quivering feature  
beckoning me to step back  
yet yearning to move forward._

_A muscle ever so vital,  
deliverer of replenishing life.  
A vintage metaphor of love and emotion,  
scarred by pain,  
enriched by love._

_Why does she quiver so?  
An arrhythmia for which  
cause is unknown.  
Whether it be fear  
or endearment,  
it is for alas, a man, a beau._

_It spins until it becomes a mere  
swirl of bounding hopes,  
a cascade of raw emotion.  
Like a newborn emerging from the womb,  
it begs to be let out,  
with a deep, everlasting desire._

_A desire for affection,  
that will heal all wounds,  
mend and erase all scars._

_Perhaps this tender heart has reason,  
rather than mindlessly clinging  
to anything that may maintain its steady beat.  
If fate dictates he is to be the one,  
the chosen, eternal, only one for our lady,  
his effect on the heart  
is that of a sterilized scalpel.  
Piercing deep,  
however creating no infection  
to harbor sickness and disease  
and healing with more ease  
than that of a jagged wound._

_Irrelevance!  
Is it so? Or rather,  
is this heart trudging through  
to reach the one to whom it is betrothed?  
Rather than surrendering  
to residual pain,  
she, the heart, marches forward toward him.  
Bouncing as she did once before,  
praying for her dream, God willing._

_And once her journey is over,  
she will continue to quiver,  
though not with fear within her valves,  
nor with doubt or dread coursing through veins.  
It will be the giddiness and joy  
of one who has conquered pain and fear,  
the fear of pain._

_Little to her knowledge,  
she has never been the fully functioning  
apparatus of life once thought.  
An emblematic half, seeking its counterpart.  
And here is he, found.  
Rips, tears, scars and all,  
so called flaws that may hinder others,  
yet draw her nearer._

_And once close enough,  
the man bows,  
the woman curtseys.  
Let it be known  
their hearts will dance,  
forever entwined by the  
sutures of an eternal love._

**[A/N: THE END! I want to thank everyone who's been reading my story. I never expected my story to be so well-received and I can't begin to verbalize how much your reviews have meant to me! Special thanks to all of my faithful reviewers, especially the wonderful, wonderful people from the HA FB group. I hope you enjoyed the final segment of my story. 3 ]**


	16. UPDATE: A Sequel, Eh!

Hey guys!

I've been on SUCH a long hiatus from writing but I wanted to let everyone know I'm working on a sequel to Heart to Heart!

I have a few ideas for that rolling around in my head and I'm working on fleshing them out into a full-blown continuation!

I also still have ideas for other stories but we'll keep things going one at a time lest I spontaneously combust! ;)

Anywho! In the meantime, if there are any loose ends or questions you had after reading H2H, leave a comment and tell me anything you'd like to know/see in the sequel! I can't guarantee I'll include everything but I definitely want to hear reader feedback about what they want to know more about.

I hope everyone's having a wonderful summer!

And by the way, the sequel's working title is "Heart of Glass"

Toodles!


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